ISLAMABAD, OCT 19: A Pakistan Army officer was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast during a security operation in Balochistan province, the military said on Monday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, security forces carried out operations on Sunday in the Shadi Kaur area of Gwadar district and Jattakabad in Kalat district following reports of terrorist presence.
During an operation in Jattakabad, security personnel killed four suspected terrorists and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition, the statement said.
Security forces also conducted clearance operations in the Shadi Kaur area of Pasni in Gwadar district. During the operation, Major Wajahat Waheed, 34, was killed in an IED explosion while leading his team.
The military said sanitisation operations would continue to identify and eliminate any remaining militants in the affected areas. It also reiterated its commitment to countering what it described as foreign-sponsored terrorism in the country.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces for killing the four militants and expressed condolences over the death of the army officer.
Sharif said Major Waheed had sacrificed his life in the service of his country and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.
Balochistan has witnessed a rise in militant violence in recent years, with security forces continuing operations across the province to counter the threat.
A day earlier, security forces reportedly killed eight militants during separate operations in the Quetta, Nushki and Khuzdar districts.
