The military’s media wing on Saturday said six soldiers and a civilian were martyred during a clearance operation at a Frontier Corps compound in the Muslim Bagh area of Balochistan that began on Friday morning after militants attacked it.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the operation that began on Friday morning had been completed early on Saturday morning with the killing of six well-equipped terrorists that had holed up at the compound. “The complex clearance operation involved hostage rescue operation as well to save three families from a residential block. The terrorists had not even spared children of their horrendous approach,” read the statement, adding that a “necessary intelligence follow-up” was underway to “trace their linkages and arrest facilitators and expose their sponsors.”
According to the ISPR, six soldiers and one civilian were martyred during the operation, while six people, including a woman, were injured. It said the security forces remained determined to thwart all attempts at sabotaging the peace, stability and progress of Balochistan.
A day earlier, the ISPR had issued a statement informing the public of the ongoing operation. The attack has been claimed the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a little known militant group, through its spokesman Mulla Qasim. However, this could not be independently verified.
Last month, the same militant group had claimed responsibility for an explosion at the Counter-Terrorism Department Office in Swat. At least 12 people had been killed, and 50 others injured, in the blast that authorities later said was the result of an electrical short circuit and was not the result of any militancy.
In February, the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan had claimed an attack in Balochistan that led to the martyrdom of two paramilitary soldiers.