Army, FC and police continue joint operation in Balochistan after the attack on Mangi Dam police station
Security forces have killed 17 more Indian-backed terrorists during an ongoing operation in Balochistan, taking the total number of terrorists killed in Operation Shaban to 43, security sources said on Friday.
The joint operation by the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and Balochistan Police was launched in the wake of the terrorist attack at Mangi Dam police station and is ongoing, with forces intensifying efforts against terrorists across the province.
Terrorists ambushed policemen posted in Kach Mangi Phase III area of Ziarat on Tuesday, triggering hour-long gunfights that left nine policemen, including two station house officers, dead. Terrorists also abducted several civilians and policemen after the attack. The military subsequently launched a series of counter-terrorism operations across Balochistan.
In a statement issued today, security sources said the ongoing operation had further tightened the cordon around terrorists hiding in the rugged mountainous terrain of the region, adding that more ground and air operations were continuing.
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It said that in the last 24 hours, security forces killed another 17 terrorists, bringing the total number killed in Operation Shaban to 43.
The sources said an attack on a police station in Zehri area of Khuzdar earlier today was repulsed.
They said swift action by the Pakistan Army and FC troops resulted in the confirmed killing of eight terrorists, while reports indicated that five to six more were killed during helicopter operations.
The joint operation by the Pakistan Army, Balochistan FC and the police continued later, with security forces targeting terrorists hiding in the mountains using heavy weapons, the sources said.
During the latest phase of the operation, four more terrorists were killed while several others were reported injured, according to the sources.
According to the sources, security forces had already killed 26 terrorists during operations conducted on July 6 and 7.
The sources added that since July 5, a total of 79 terrorists had been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations conducted in the area.
