File Photo. Banaras Khan—AFP
Frontier Corps spokesman says the militants were involved in kidnappings for ransom.
Two militants blew themselves up while at least four others were killed during a clash with paramilitary soldiers in Balochistan on Friday, a spokesman said.
The incident took place in the Sanjavi neighborhood of Loralai district.
“Four militants were killed while two others blew themselves up in an operation conducted by Frontier Corps (FC)… the operation is still under way,” said a spokesman for the soldiers. He added that a large cache of ammunition, including explosive materials and suicide vests, were seized from insurgents.
The spokesman said that the militants had taken shelter in the area after fleeing a long-running military offensive. “They were involved in kidnapping for ransom,” he said.
Balochistan is plagued by violence, with an armed separatist movement seeking larger control over the province’s rich oil, gas and mineral resources. It is also wracked by Taliban attacks and sectarian unrest. A number of foreign nationals have been kidnapped there in recent years. Last week, four policemen including a local police station chief were killed in a rocket attack on their vehicle.