Karachi, February 23 Five terrorists, including a suicide bomber, were killed during a security operation based on intelligence gathered by Pakistani forces in the Balochistan province, the military's media wing said on Monday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the operation took place late Sunday night in the Pishin district, where security forces raided a suspected hideout of militants belonging to a banned organization.
A security source said the slain militants were members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The terrorists, including the suicide bomber, were involved in previous attacks and were planning another strike when security forces surrounded their safe house, triggering a gun battle in which all five were killed, the statement said.
The incident comes amid a series of clashes between security forces and militants linked to the TTP and other insurgent groups in different parts of Balochistan over the past month.
Meanwhile, unidentified armed men on motorcycles and in a double-cabin vehicle attacked two construction sites in the Barkhan and Khuzdar districts of Balochistan late Saturday night and early Sunday, abducting eight workers from other provinces, officials said.
The abducted workers were working on development projects in the area, they added.
Security forces have launched a search operation to recover the abducted workers and are combing the surrounding areas, officials said.
