2 officials, 14 militants killed in separate attacks and operations in Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - At least two officials and 14 militants were killed during separate attacks and counterterrorism operations in northwestern and southwestern Pakistan, officials confirmed Wednesday.

In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, militants targeted a police station and a customs office in the Dera Ismail Khan district late Tuesday night, killing one policeman and one customs official, a local police emergency control room official told Anadolu.

Two policemen and one customs official were also injured in the attacks.

In the southwestern province of Balochistan, at least 14 militants were killed in two separate operations carried out by the Counter Terrorism Department in the Quetta and Barkhan districts, according to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Six militants were killed in Barkhan, while eight others were neutralized in Quetta.

Three policemen were also injured during the Quetta operation, said the minister in a statement.

In recent years, Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorism, with bombings and attacks targeting security personnel, law enforcement, and government installations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

On Tuesday, Pakistani officials reported that 14 security personnel and a child were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive-laden vehicle before ramming it into a security checkpoint in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while 12 militants were also killed by security forces after the blast.

Police also killed four militants in the southern port city of Karachi.

Earlier on Monday, at least three police officers were killed during a counter-militant operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district. Two militants were also killed during the operation.

The same day, an improvised explosive device exploded in Bannu district, killing at least two people and injuring 17 others.