Security forces kill 17 militants in Balochistan
One security force member was killed in the operations, which the security forces said also recovered weapons and ammunition.
Security forces killed 17 militants in two intelligence-based operations in Balochistan's Kachhi and Kharan districts on Tuesday, the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
In the first operation, in the Sanni area of Kachhi district, security forces thwarted an attempt by militants to set up a roadblock, killing ten of them, the security forces said.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered.
In Kharan district, security forces raided a militant hideout and killed seven militants after an intense exchange of fire, the security forces said.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered there.
Sepoy Hikmat Ullah was killed during the exchange of fire in Kharan, the security forces said, adding that he fought gallantly before he died.
Security forces said sanitization operations were under way to find any other militants in the area.
The security forces described all the killed militants as Indian-sponsored, a claim the government has not independently verified in the report.
The forces said the counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of "Azm-e-Istehkam", approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace to end foreign-sponsored and foreign-supported terrorism in the country.
Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province by area, has faced repeated attacks by armed groups in recent years, and security forces regularly conduct operations there against militants.
