QUETTA: At least six people, including a 'commander' of the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), were killed Thursday in an operation by security forces in Kalat district of insurgency-hit Balochistan province, security officials told DawnNews.

A spokesman for the Frontier Corps (FC) said that an operation was carried out in the Mangochar area of Kalat district Thursday morning.

The spokesman confirmed that a BLA commander was among six people killed in the offensive. He added that forces had also arrested five people from the area and that a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from them.

The FC spokesman added that the operation was carried out following directions from the provincial administration.