Pakistan conducts search for militants 38 hrs after attacks

GBNEWS24DESK//

At least three militants were killed by Pakistani security forces and six were injured in a grenade attack in two attacks on Friday following a search for insurgents who had attacked two military bases, killing seven soldiers and 13 of their own, in the latest violence in southwest Pakistan.

At least three militants, including two ‘ high-value targets’ were killed in a clearance operation conducted in Kech district to flush out militants from hideouts linked to Wednesday’s attacks on military bases in Balochistan province,” Pakistan’s military media wing said on Friday night, report Reuters.

In another attack, at Chaman, a town bordering Afghanistan at least six people were injured in a grenade attack at para-military post.

The Wednesday attacks, the biggest in recent years by ethnic Baloch insurgents, came hours before Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics, where he will have meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders.

Two Pakistani security officials, requesting anonymity as they are not permitted to speak publicly, said the operation was not yet over.

“The army is conducting search operations in the area. There might be some more elements hiding in the surroundings,” one official told Reuters.

The army said the attacks were simultaneous and coordinated.

“They used explosive-laden vehicles at gates, they have the latest weaponry left behind by NATO forces,” Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Minister of Interior said on Friday, adding that the attack was defeated and both bases were under the control of the Pakistani military.

Ethnic Baloch guerrillas have been fighting the government for decades, demanding a separate state, saying the central government unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.