KHUZDAR: At least four militants were killed Wednesday during an operation conducted by security personnel in Balochistan's troubled Khuzdar district, police said.

Ali Ahmed Kurd, a levies official, told Dawn.com that Frontier Corps (FC) and levies personnel conducted a joint operation in the Zaidi area of Khuzdar. He said four militants were killed and six were arrested during the operation.

“Militants resisted the operation, however, security personnel successfully fought them,” Kurd added.

He said one hostage was also recovered from the safe haven of militants.

Security forces moreover seized a huge quantity of arms and ammunition from the militants' possession.

The detained militants were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

Another security official, who declined to be named, told Dawn.com that the militants were involved in a series of kidnapping incidents.

Khuzdar is considered to be one of the most sensitive districts of Balochistan where militants have been targeting security forces and national installations for more than a decade.

Worsening law and order situation has forced hundreds of families to migrate from Khuzdar to different parts of Balochistan and Sindh. The minority Hindu community appears to be the most vulnerable. In the recent past, Hindu traders announced an indefinite strike against incidents of kidnapping. However, they called off the strike following assurance by the concerned quarters.

Earlier, Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Commander of Southern Command Lieutenant General Nasir Khan Janjua and other high ups held a series of meetings with the district administration to discuss ways for improving the law and order situation in the Khuzdar district.