QUETTA: At least 13 suspected militants belonging to the banned Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) were killed on Monday in a raid by security forces near Turbat in Balochistan’s Kech district.

The dead militants allegedly include the perpetrators of Saturday's massacre in which 20 construction workers were gunned down in the area.

Read more: 20 labourers gunned down in Turbat

Acting on a tip-off, Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and intelligence agencies forces carried out a raid against alleged militants in Gogdan, an area situated at a distance of 15 kilometres from Turbat. In the gun battle that ensued, 13 suspected militants were killed and these allegedly include those involved in the latest attack on labourers in the province.

Spokesperson FC Khan Wasey said search operations were conducted in different parts of Turbat after the gun attack on labourers and 13 miscreants including one key militant commander Hayat was killed. Another key militant commander Zareef was arrested during the operations, he said.

Wasey said several miscreants were injured in the operation. The miscreants belonged to the proscribed BLF, he added.

According to security officials, levies and police personnel were also called over in wake of the encounter.

Twenty construction workers were killed and three others were injured on Saturday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in a pre-dawn attack on a labourers’ camp near Turbat.

The victims belonged to Sindh and Punjab, Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti had said at the time, adding that they were working for a private construction company and building a bridge over a stream in Gogdan.

The attack also saw security forces launching a massive operation in Turbat in pursuit of the killers.

Turbat is considered as among the sensitive districts in Balochistan. It is also the home town of Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch.