Web Desk: Security forces carried out a preemptive intelligence-based operation in the Killi Padda area north of Mastung in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Friday following reports of suspected militant activity, according to security officials.
Officials said the operation was launched on the basis of actionable intelligence indicating the presence of suspected militants in the area.
Security personnel cordoned off part of the village and an unoccupied house complex for search operations. Officials said an explosion occurred inside one of the buildings during the raid.
During a subsequent search, officials said it appeared that a suspected suicide bomber may have detonated himself upon the arrival of security forces. The claim could not be independently verified.
Security officials said the bodies of five suspected militants were recovered from the site along with what they described as remains consistent with a suspected suicide bomber.
They added that forces recovered weapons including handheld wireless sets, grenade launcher rounds, submachine gun ammunition, three submachine guns, one M4 rifle, night vision equipment and an explosive triggering device.
Officials also said a large quantity of explosives was recovered from the compound, along with two vehicles that they believed were intended for use in a vehicle-borne explosive device attack. Explosive ordnance disposal teams were deployed to clear suspected improvised explosive devices found at the site.
Officials said the cordon in the area remained in place while sanitisation and clearance operations continued. They added that further assessments suggested the group may have been preparing attacks on security installations in Mastung and surrounding areas, although this could not be independently confirmed.
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