Pakistani security forces kill four militants in restive Balochistan province
The militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation conducted on the night of July 19 and 20 in Balochistan's Pahrod area.
'A clearance operation is underway in the area,' the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, adding security personnel seized weapons from the site of the encounter.
Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and most resource-rich province, has long grappled with a simmering insurgency by separatist groups operating in the region.
Attacks targeting security forces, government officials and non-local workers have intensified in recent months, despite repeated crackdowns and security operations by the state.
On Saturday, an army officer was killed and three civilians, including a child, were injured in a magnetic improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the restive region. The explosion targeted a private vehicle in the western bypass area of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, police said.
On July 16, three people were killed and 12 wounded in an armed assault on a passenger bus in Kalat district. The attack followed another incident in which nine passengers from Punjab were kidnapped and killed by militants.
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