GWADAR / QUETTA / PESHAWAR: Five soldiers were martyred and two others, including an officer, injured after an improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeted a security vehicle in the Buleda area of Balochistan’s Kech district on Saturday.

Separately, security forces killed four militants in two intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan and Dera Ismail Khan districts.

In the Kech incident, the security forces vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb while returning to the Gillisar checkpoint after patrolling.

Makran Commissioner Saeed Ahmed Umrani confirmed the details of the attack. “An improvised explosive device planted by the roadside was detonated when the vehicle of the security personnel was passing through the area,” he told Dawn by phone.

Four militants killed in North Waziristan, D.I. Khan operations

The martyred personnel were identified as Lance Naik Tariq Ali, and sepoys Tipu Razzaq, Shafiullah, Tariq Khan, and Sani Shaukat. The injured were Major Abbas and Lance Naik Mumtaz.

The bodies were shifted to the Turbat district hospital.

Following the blast, a brief exchange of fire also occurred with the attackers, who eventually fled the scene.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Ali Mardan Domki, Home Minister Mir Zubair Ahmed Jamali and Information Minister Jan Achakzai strongly condemned the incident and described it as a “cowardly terrorist attack”.

Mr Domki said in a statement that security officials were sacrificing their lives to safeguard the frontiers and protect the people’s lives and would continue to perform their duties despite such attacks.

He said security forces and citizens were on the same page in their struggle to root out terrorism from the country.

KP operations

Meanwhile, the first operation in KP took place in Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan, where an exchange of fire resulted in the death of two militants, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

These militants — identified as Commander Tabbasum alias Qadarman and Sajid alias Sarka­ndi — were engaged in numerous acts of terrorism, including attacks on security forces, the ISPR said.

In a separate joint operation by police and security forces in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district, two more militants were eliminated.

Security forces recovered weapons, ammunition and explosives from the slain terrorists, who were involved in terrorist activities, extortion, and the target killings of civilians, the military said.

“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area. Locals of the area appreciated the operations and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism,” the ISPR said.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024