File photo. T. J. Kirkpatrick—AFP
The military’s media wing on Friday said two soldiers had been martyred and two terrorists killed during a gunbattle in northern Balochistan after militants targeted a Frontier Corps camp.
“In the early hours of morning [May 12], a group of terrorists attacked an FC Camp in the Muslim Bagh area of Northern Balochistan,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. “Currently, operation by the security forces is underway to capture the terrorists, who have been cornered into a building complex,” it added.
The military’s media wing said thus far two terrorists had “been sent to hell” by security forces, who were maintaining pressure on terrorists in an ongoing heavy exchange of fire. “In the process of clearance operation, two soldiers have embraced shahadat, while another three are injured,” it added.
Earlier, reports from Balochistan had suggested the operation had resulted in 5 fatalities and 5 injuries. The attack has been claimed the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a little known militant group, through its spokesman Mulla Qasim. However, this could not be independently verified.
Last month, the same militant group had claimed responsibility for an explosion at the Counter-Terrorism Department Office in Swat. At least 12 people had been killed, and 50 others injured, in the blast that authorities later said was the result of an electrical short circuit and was not the result of any militancy.
In February, the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan had claimed an attack in Balochistan that led to the martyrdom of two paramilitary soldiers.