QUETTA: Five suspended militants of a banned organisation have been killed in a gun battle with the personnel of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and security forces in New Marri Camp area near Hazarganji suburb of the city.

The CTD conducted a search operation in the area between the night of Tuesday and Wednesday on intelligence-based information.

Officials said on Wednesday that the search operation was launched on the re­­ports that terrorists were planning attacks on important places of the provincial capital on the eve of Independence Day.

The personnel of CTD and security forces cordoned off a compound and asked the suspected terrorists to surrender. However, the armed men hiding in the compound, instead of giving up, opened fire on the CTD personnel and soldiers, which they returned after taking positions.

The heavy gun battle continued for an hour, resulting in the killing of five suspected militants.

“Five suspected terrorists of banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were killed in the exchange of fire,” a senior CTD official said, adding that three armed men managed to escape taking the benefit of darkness.

He said that arms and ammunition were recovered from the compound, including two sub-machine guns, three pistols and as many hand grenades. Two motorcycles, maps and documents were also recovered.

The bodies of slain militants were shifted to the civil hospital where two of them were identified as Jamil Ahmed and Mohammad Khan. The three others could not be identified so far.

CTD officials said that a massive operation had been launched for the arrest of other suspected militants.

Over the past three days, three grenade attacks occurred on two pushcarts and a shop selling national flags in different parts of the city. One person was killed and five other were injured in the attacks. The BLA has claimed responsibility for the grenade attacks.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2021