ISLAMABAD, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Eleven security personnel and 19 terrorists were killed in an operation in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Wednesday, security sources said.
The intelligence-based operation was conducted on N-25 Highway in Khuzdar district of the province after authorities received intelligence that the terrorists were extorting money from passengers and local residents in the area, the sources said.
According to the sources, security forces engaged the militants in a gun battle, killing at least 19 of them, while injuring several others, adding that a clearance operation has been kicked off in the surrounding areas following the clash.
The operation came after armed assailants attacked a police checkpoint in Balochistan's Ziarat district late Monday, killing nine policemen, according to government officials. ■
