16 militants killed in security operations in Pakistan's Balochistan

KARACHI — Sixteen militants were killed in multiple operations in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Wednesday, state-owned media reported.

The operations were conducted in the Mastung, Turbat and Quetta districts, Radio Pakistan said.

Nine militants were killed after they attempted to attack a security post in Mastung's Kanak Valley, it said.

Weapons, ammunition and three motorcycles were recovered from their possession, the state media said, adding that one security personnel was injured in the exchange of fire.

In Turbat district, security forces killed two militants during an intelligence-based operation in the Jausak area.

The police also foiled an attack on the Aghbarg police station on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital city of the province and killed five militants, Radio Pakistan said.

The motorcycle-borne militants targeted the police station in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting police personnel to return fire, it said, adding that the attackers belonged to the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and that the weapons and ammunition were also recovered from them.

Since its ceasefire deal with the Pakistani government ended in November 2022, the TTP has carried out recurring attacks in the province bordering Afghanistan.

In a separate incident, two policemen guarding a polio vaccination team were killed by unidentified gunmen in Nushki district of the province, Babar Yousafzai, the chief minister's advisor on home affairs, said on Wednesday.

Both policemen were shot dead on Tuesday while providing security to health workers carrying out a door-to-door vaccination campaign, he said, adding that the vaccination team escaped unharmed, while the attackers fled.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Yousafzai condemned the attack, saying militant groups were seeking to disrupt peace, healthcare and development in the province.

“Polio is a crippling disease, and the government will continue its fight against it no matter how much these militants try to spread violence,” he said.