Islamabad, July 16: Nine Balochi separatists and one soldier were killed during an operation against the alleged killers of Lt Col Laiq Baig Mirza, an army officer who was kidnapped earlier this week while travelling to Quetta from Ziarat, Dawn reported on Saturday.
However, the whereabouts of Lt Col Mirza’s cousin, Umer Javed, who was kidnapped alongside him en route to Quetta, is still not known. Security forces swooped down on a separatists hideout in the mountains near Ziarat after Thursday midnight, ISPR said, which led to a gunfight leading to the death of one soldier.
The security forces later undertook a clearance operation and managed to eliminate five fighters belonging to the proscribed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) after a heavy exchange of fire.
The security forces then spotted another group of separatists near Ziarat Nullah and killed four of them, the statement added. In the ensuing exchange of fire, the remaining managed to flee, along with their other captive, Umer under the cover of darkness. (UNI)
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