By ISPR
RAWALPINDI: Security forces in Balochistan’s Barkhan district killed seven militants described as India-backed insurgents during a sanitization operation, while five personnel, including an army major, were martyred in an intense exchange of fire, the military said on Wednesday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps units launched the operation early on May 13 in the Nosham area of Barkhan after intelligence-led information pointed to the presence of armed militants in the region. The operation, described as part of ongoing counter-terrorism efforts, escalated into a fierce gun battle when troops made contact with the group.
The military’s media wing said seven militants were killed in the engagement and added that weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the site. It said the slain personnel had been involved in activities attributed to what it termed “Fitna al-Hindustan”, a label used by the state for insurgent groups it alleges are externally supported.
However, the operation came at a heavy cost. Five members of the security forces, including Major Tauseef Ahmed Bhatti, 31, from Pakpattan, were killed during the exchange of fire. The other martyrs were identified as Naik Fida Hussain, 36, from Sukkur; Sepoy Zakir Hussain, 32, from Skardu; Sepoy Suhail Ahmed, 21, from Khanewal; and Sepoy Muhammad Ayaz, 24, from Rahim Yar Khan. The military paid tribute to their “ultimate sacrifice”, saying they had embraced martyrdom in the line of duty.
The statement reaffirmed that counter-terrorism operations under the national framework of “Azm-e-Istehkam” would continue at full pace until what it called the elimination of foreign-sponsored militancy from the country.
