Islamabad, Jan 15, (dpa/GNA) – Pakistani security forces raided a hideout of terrorists in the volatile south-western province of Balochistan, killing at least 27 insurgents, amid a rise in violence by both Islamist and separatist militants, the military said on Monday.
The night raid was conducted in the region of Kachhi, the military’s statement said.
The slain insurgents were involved in multiple attacks on security forces and civilians, the statement added.
The statement didn’t specifically identify the militants, but both the Pakistani Taliban and ethnic separatists operate in the province of Balochistan where China is building a deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea.
Much of the violence is directed against Chinese projects to link the Xinjiang region with the sea through a network of roads and railways.
Pakistan, the only nuclear-capable Muslim majority nation, faces violence by Islamist militants fighting to overthrow the government to implement Islamic rule, and the ethnic separatists of Balochistan who want the liberation of their land.
GNA