QUETTA: At least six suspected six militants were killed during a search operation in Balochistan's troubled Dera Bugti district on Thursday morning.

A spokesperson for Frontier Corps – a para-military force – said security forces conducted search operations in Dur Jan and Rustam areas of Dera Bugti during which six militants were killed. He claimed the militants were involved in targeting security forces and blowing up gas installations in the district.

He said arms and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased militants.

The spokesperson said a large number of personnel were involved in the search operation being conducted in different parts of Dera Bugti. He added that security forces were backed by helicopter gunships.

The FC claim could not be verified by independent sources.

Read: FC kill seven militants in Dera Bugti search operation

The incident has come a day after the killing of seven suspected militants by security forces in Pir Koh area of Dera Bugti.

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least developed and most sparsely populated province, has been afflicted for decades by a separatist insurgency that was revived in 2004.

Rights groups allege that Pakistani security forces often arrest rebels and kill them extra-judicially, staging gunfights to cover up the executions.