CTD kills four terrorists in Bolan

QUETTA: As many as four terrorists of the proscribed Baloch sub-nationalist BLA were killed in an exchange of firing with the CTD Balochistan on Thursday. Arms and explosives were recovered from the killed and fleeing terrorists.

The CTD Balochistan has been working on several leads in Marwaarr, Bolan and adjacent areas, which have seen some recent attacks against the paramilitary security force, FC, in which several lives were lost. The CTD action has been in concert with other security and intelligence organisations that have kept the terrorists of Baloch sub-nationalists narrowly surrounded in Marwaarr.

On Thursday, the CTD mounted an operation on an intelligence information “about the movement of a larger group of BLA to rescue, replenish and reinforce their besieged folks.” The timely action, according to the CTD spokesman, “intercepted the terrorists, who were asked to surrender,” but they instead attacked the CTD Police. “A shootout ensued, resulting in the killing of four terrorists, while 6-8 terrorists escaped,” the CTD spokesman said.

This cell, headed by Mulla Amin, was carrying weapons, ammunition and food items for the besieged partners but the timely intervention prevented their plan to launch a series of terrorist attacks in Balochistan.

According to the CTD spokesman, two SMGs, two 9mm pistols, hand grenades, ammunition and multiple magazines and two motorcycles were recovered from the terrorists. Trying to reach the main BLA terrorists under a narrow besiege by LEAs, they were also carrying medicines and food items, including water, rice, sugar, tea and first aid kit.

In the last some weeks, terrorism by the BLA suspects had spiked in Bolan, which is the centre of major coal mining activity. Bolan is a 45-km-long bowl shaped mountainous valley located at the confluence of Quetta, Sibi, Mach, Harnai, etc, and has been the centre of Baloch subnationalists terrorism. The paramilitary FC is deployed at several points to provide security to the commercial enterprise. In mid-last week, some FC troops fell martyr when their convoy was attacked by a roadside landmine in Marget. Earlier, an FC check-post was also attacked by suspected BLA terrorists. In both actions, several terrorists were also killed.

Sources believe the terrorists killed on Thursday belonged to the Mulla Amin group of BLA-Aslam Achoo group that had remained involved in multiple attacks in Balochistan. It was also behind the attack at the Karachi Stock Exchange early last year.

Investigations and raids in different parts of the province, according to the CTD, are underway following clues against terrorist hideouts to trace the remaining members of the BLA network. In a related incident, one FC trooper Naik Aqeel Abbas fell martyr during a search operation around the Turbat Airport, the ISPR confirmed. According to ISPR, Naik Abbas, participating in a search operation in the vicinity of the Turbat Airport, fell martyr during an engagement with the terrorists.