ISLAMABAD, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces killed 19 militants in a series of intelligence-based counterterrorism operations in the country's southwest Balochistan province, the military said on Wednesday evening.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said in a statement that clearance operations had been underway since Monday in the Shaban area of Quetta district after intelligence agencies reported the presence of multiple militant hideouts posing a threat to residents.
Security forces cleared several hideouts during the operation, killing 13 militants after intense exchanges of fire, the statement said, adding that weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the sites.
The ISPR identified the militants as members of banned armed groups, adding that the clearance operation in the Shaban area would continue until all militant threats had been eliminated.
In separate intelligence-based operations conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday in Kech district and Quetta West district, security forces killed six more militants and recovered weapons and ammunition, said the military.
The ISPR said Pakistan's security forces would continue counterterrorism operations under the national campaign, reaffirming the commitment to eliminating militant threats across the country. ■
