File Photo. Asif Hassan—AFP
Pakistan Army statement claims one security forces personnel also killed in shootout.
Troops on Saturday killed at least four militants in a gunfight in central Pakistan during a search operation, the military said.
The operation was part of the ongoing crackdown against militants being carried out by troops across Pakistan. “Four terrorists have been killed and a security forces member embraced martyrdom,” the military said in a statement, adding that a number of militants were also detained.
The conflict zone is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the Army’s claims, including the number and identity of those killed.
The statement added that there were still outlaws with arms and ammunition hiding out in Gayandari, an area between the border of Balochistan and central Punjab province where many militant hideouts are located.
The Army launched an operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004. Security in the country has since improved. Scattered attacks still take place, but they are fewer and of a lesser intensity than in previous years.