QUETTA: Four suspected militants belonging to the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were killed in an exchange of fire with the personnel of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) during an operation in the Marwar coalmine area, Bolan district, on Thursday.

A CTD spokesman claimed that the Counter Terrorism Department foiled a terrorist plan of the BLA in the Marwar coalmine area by conducting an intelligence-based operation.

He said that intelligence reports suggested that a large group of BLA terrorists was moving in the Marwar area to join besieged members of the banned organisation in the aftermath of the operation of the law-enforcement agencies in the area.

“They planned to launch fresh attacks after joining the main group,” the spokesman said, adding that after receiving the information, the CTD team reached the area and intercepted the terrorists. They were asked to surrender, but they opened indiscriminate fire on CTD personnel.

“The CTD personnel returned fire and the heavy exchange of fire continued for a long time, leaving four suspected terrorists dead,” he said, adding that six to eight other terrorists managed to escape from the area. Efforts were under way to identify the dead terrorists, he said.

The spokesman said that the compound where the terrorists were hiding had been cleared after a search operation during which huge arms and ammunition, dry ration, first aid kits and different medicines were recovered.

The arms and ammunition include two sub-machine guns, 140 rounds with six magazines, two 9 MM pistols, 40 rounds with four magazines, one hand-grenade and two motorcycles.

Efforts are under way to arrest the remaining terrorists.

“More raids have been planned in other areas of the province and an FIR had been lodged in the CTD police station,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2021