Security forces killed 15 militants belonging to banned separatist organisations in two separate operations carried out in the restive Balochistan province on Saturday, officials said.

A spokesperson for the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said that nine militants from different banned organisations were killed in Balochistan’s Mastung area and a heavy cache of arms and ammunition were seized from them.

In another search operation in Harnai district of the province, security forces killed six militants, including a commander of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The CTD spokesperson said the nine slain militants belonged to the BLA, the Baloch Liberation Front and the United Baloch Army and they were hiding out in Mastung’s mountainous area of Roshi.

The spokesperson added that nine submachine guns with 350 rounds, 20 kilogram of explosive material, detonators, a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) and two shells were found during the operation.

“These militants were planning to carry out terror hits in Quetta after receiving training in Roshni. The training camp has also been destroyed by the police forces,” he said.

The BLA and Baloch Liberation Front have claimed responsibility for many of the terror attacks carried out in recent months on security forces, police and security installations in the province.

The CTD official claimed the militants were killed after they began firing on the raiding police party which was acting on intelligence reports.

In another search operation carried out by security forces in an area near Harnai, six militants, including BLA commander, Tariq alias Nasir, were killed, the military’s media affairs wing (ISPR) said on Saturday.

It said the militants were killed at their hideout near in Jamboro in Harnai.

The ISPR said the militants were working with external forces to spread discontent and derail peace in the province.

“As soon as the security forces cordoned off the targeted hideout, the militants resorted to heavy firing while trying to flee from the area but after a heavy exchange of fire six terrorists, including BLA commander Tariq alias Nasir, were killed,” the ISPR statement said.

It added that a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the hideout.

Last month in another intel-based search operation, the security forces had killed 10 terrorists in the South Waziristan tribal district. On September 26, security forces had also killed a commander of the militant Islamic State (IS) group in a raid in Mastung district.

Before that, 11 suspected IS militants were killed in a gun-battle with CTD personnel in Mastung on August 30.

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