QUETTA: Security forces arrested 10 suspected militants and recovered about 1,000 kilogrammes of explosives during separate raids in Balochistan's Ziarat and Killa Saifullah districts on Monday.

Frontier Corps spokesman said security forces demolished four sanctuaries of terrorists during the operation in Ziarat's Sanjavi area and arrested seven militants.

About 1,000 kilogrammes of explosive material hidden in a cave and four AK-47s were recovered during the intelligence-driven raid.

The militants had dumped the explosives and weapons to smuggle them to Quetta and other parts of Balochistan to carry out subversive activities, the FC spokesman said.

In another operation, security forces arrested three militants allegedly linked with banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Killa Saifullah district, the spokesman added.

"The militants had targeted security forces in various parts of Northern Balochistan," claimed the FC spokesman.

Balochistan is in the throes of the fifth and longest running insurgency since 1947. Triggered in 2005 by the rape of a lady doctor allegedly by an army officer in Sui, it was exacerbated by the death of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in an Army operation in August 2006.

Security forces have intensified their actions in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan after the announcement of the National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country.

Back in September, Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani stated that provincial law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 8,000 suspected militants and killed at least 204 after the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).

Durrani had told media that that out of the 204 terrorists killed, around 100 were high-profile terrorists.