5 terrorists killed as militants attack cantt area in Balochistan’s Zhob: official
Five terrorists were killed in the early hours of Wednesday as terrorists attacked the cantonment area in Balochistan’s Zhob, an official said.
Zhob District Commissioner (DC) Azeem Kakar said that unidentified miscreants attacked the cantonment, following which five terrorists were killed in retaliatory fire.
He further said that a woman civilian was killed after being caught in the crossfire while five other civilians were left injured. The official added that the severely injured were being referred to Quetta.
DC Kakar said that a passenger bus coming from Dera Ismail Khan was also caught in the firing.
He added that “nothing can be said about the number of attackers”, and asserted that all departments were on alert and an operation was under way.
Increase in terror attacks
Pakistan has seen an uptick in terror activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the outlawed TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
Earlier this month, four security personnel were martyred while a terrorist was killed after police and Levies checkposts in the Dhana Sar area of Balochistan’s Sherani subdistrict came under attack.
A report released this month by think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the first half of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.
In June, a police official was martyred and two more were injured in a suicide attack on a police van in Balochistan’s Turbat.
In an earlier incident the same month, two soldiers were martyred after a security forces’ checkpost in the Kech district along the Pakistan-Iran border came under attack.
In a press conference in June, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the security forces conducted 13,619 intelligence operations this year in which 1,172 terrorists were killed or arrested.
“On a daily basis, over 77 operations are being carried out by armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, and other law enforcement agencies to rid of the menace of terrorism,” he said.
DG Sharif added that 95 soldiers embraced martyrdom in these operations.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
Additional reporting by Tahir Khan