Pakistan’s army announced that a total of 12 soldiers were killed in suspected militant attacks, including an assault on one of its bases.
The army and security officials said nine soldiers died at the base, which the Islamist militants stormed into armed with guns.
In a separate incident, the army revealed that three more soldiers died in an exchange of fire with heavily armed “terrorists” in the Sui district in the province. Two enemy combatants also died in that exchange.
The army stated that all five militants who stormed the base in the early hours were killed in retaliatory fire.
Late Wednesday night, the army announced the completion of an operation to clear the area district Zhob of southern Balochistan province.
Three security officials told Reuters that the militants first hurled grenades into a military mess at the base and then waged a gun battle lasting several hours.
“Initial attempts by the terrorists to sneak into the facility was checked by soldiers on duty,” the army statement read, and “in the ensuing heavy exchange of fire, the terrorists were contained into a small area at the boundary” of the base.
