QUETTA: Unidentified armed assailants opened fire at an anti-measles vaccination team in Balochistan's Pishin district on Saturday, Levies officials confirmed. Moreover, four Afghan Tajik nationals were apprehended during a targeted raid in Quetta.

Levies sources said the team was carrying out an anti-measles drive in Pishin's Surkhab area when it came under attack. "Nobody was harmed in the attack," they added.

However, levies personnel quickly retaliated and conducted a search operation in the area in which eight suspects were arrested. Four of the arrested suspects were released after initial interrogation, however, the remaining four were charged, levies said.

Balochistan Government has launched an anti-measles vaccination campaign in all the 32 districts of the province including Quetta from April 13 to April 25, and announced administering of anti-measles injections to more than half a million children across the province.

The health ministry announced that anti-measles injections have been administered to 400,000 children across the province until now.

Also read: Anti-measles injections claim lives of five children in Balochistan: parents

In a separate incident, the Counter Terrorism Unit of police apprehended four Afghan Tajik nationals during a targeted raid in Quetta. Police sources said three Indian programmed mobiles with Afghan Sims and Afghan currency were recovered from their possession.

"Senior police officers are interrogating the arrested Afghan nationals," a police officer who declined to be named told DawnNews.

Similarly, police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) during a joint raid arrested three persons involved in issuance of fake National Identity Cards (NIC) and passports to terrorists.

Police said the three persons had issued hundreds of fake NICs and passports. A case was registered against the arrested persons for issuing fake cards and passports.

Security forces have arrested more than 3000 militants linked with different militant groups in Balochistan in the aftermath of the announcement of the National Action Plan (NAP). Forces have stepped up their efforts to apprehend militants in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan to ensure peace in the province.

Latest figures on operations being carried out by civilian and military agencies across Pakistan reveal that 10,616 people have been arrested on various charges since the launch of the NAP.