Paramilitary troops kill five militants in southwestern Pakistan

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 5, 2016 6:18PM

At least five militants from the outlawed terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) have been killed in a shootout with Pakistani paramilitary forces in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

According to a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps, Khan Wasay, the militants were killed after troops stormed a compound in the village of Huramzai in Pashin district, which is located 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of the provincial capital Quetta.

The security forces managed to kill militants during an ensuing exchange of fire, he added.

Provincial home secretary Akbar Harifal confirmed the details of the clash in the volatile region.

The LeJ terrorist group, which has been involved in several attacks on Shia Muslims in recent years, is largely funded by Saudi Arabia.

The militant group has claimed responsibility for some of the most brazen attacks on the Shia community in Pakistan's recent history, including a January 2013 bombing in the southwestern city of Quetta, where over 100 members of the Hazara community were killed.

Human rights groups say the Islamabad government must take decisive actions against forces involved in the targeted killings of Shia Muslims. The Shia community also accuses Islamabad of failing to provide proper security for the Shias.Islamabad denies this.

The notorious LeJ militant group, which works with both Takfiri Daesh and al-Qaeda terrorists, has also turned its guns on government forces in recent years.

Pakistani forces arrest 10 Baloch separatists

Meanwhile, Provincial Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Monday that Pakistani security forces had arrested 10 Baloch separatists after a gunfight in Khuzdar district.

In recent years, the militant group known as Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks across the region

Mineral-rich Balochistan Province has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency and sectarian killings.