QUETTA: A soldier and eight suspected militants were killed and 13 others, including two security men, were injured in a gunbattle in Sui area of Dera Bugti on Saturday.

A security official said that FC troops were patrolling Sri Nullah area near Goth Mandara in Sui tehsil when militants attacked them, killing one soldier and leaving two others injured.

The body and the wounded troops were taken to a hospital in Sui.

The troops then started a search operation in the area and attacked Sabzal camp, killing eight suspected militants and injuring 11.

“Eight armed militants who belong to a banned extremist organisation have been killed in a retaliatory attack by security forces,” an FC spokesman said in a late-night statement.

He claimed that the dead were ‘commanders’ of a proscribed organisation. Seven of them were identified as Shah Haq Hajbani, Momal Hotkani, Dilawar Hajbani, Soli Hotkani, Tawakli Mandrani, Tota Hajwani and Shaf Jons.

“They were involved in attacks on security forces, gas installations, pipelines, railway tracks and kidnapping for ransom,” the FC spokesman said.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2014