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Suicide bomber among 5 militants killed in Pakistan operation, military says

File photo

By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s military said on Monday that a suicide bomber was among five militants killed during an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

In a statement issued from Rawalpindi, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said security forces carried out the operation on February 22 in Pishin district after receiving reports of the presence of militants it described as belonging to “Fitna al Khwarij,” which, according to Pakistan backed by India and the Afghan Taliban.

The statement further said that troops engaged the group in an exchange of fire. During the operation, one militant detonated himself, while four others were killed by security forces.

The military said weapons, ammunition, and explosives were recovered from the site, while the killed terrorists were involved in multiple attacks in the area.

Security forces have launched follow-up “sanitization operations” to clear the area of any remaining fighters, the statement added.

The operation is part of Pakistan’s broader counterterrorism drive under the campaign titled “Azm-e-Istehkam,” approved by the federal apex committee under the National Action Plan framework. Authorities say the campaign aims to eliminate what they describe as foreign-sponsored militancy from India and Afghanistan.