The media affairs wing of the army said on Friday that a Pakistani Army jawan was killed in firing by terrorists on security forces during an operation to take a civilian hostage in Balochistan’s Ziarat district.
The citizen, Omar Javed, was Kidnapped With his cousin, Lieutenant Colonel Laik Beg Mirza, near Warchum, Ziarat, when they were returning from visiting Quaid’s residence. Lt Col Mirza was martyred by the terrorists as he was fleeing from the security forces.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Friday that a terrorist hideout was identified and removed during the ongoing recovery operation by the security forces.
“On the night of July 14/15, a terrorist hideout was identified and cleared by security forces near Khost in the Khalifat mountains. Once encircled, the terrorists opened fire on the locked soldiers,” the statement said.
As a result, Havildar Khan Mohammad was martyred. The ISPR said that five terrorists of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were also killed in the ensuing heavy exchange of fire.
“However, the clean-up operation will continue in the area to nab the remaining criminals and recover Omar Javed,” the ISPR said.
Army officer kidnapped, martyred
On Thursday, the ISPR said that after receiving information about the kidnapping, Army Rapid Reaction Forces were immediately dispatched to chase the fledgling terrorists to their hideout in the general area of Mangi Dam.
A search operation was launched by the security forces using Special Services Group (SSG) troops and helicopters to trace the hijackers and terrorists.
“As a result, between July 13 and July 14, a group of six to eight terrorists were seen roaming in a creek in the nearby mountains by a team of security forces. Sensing their possible encirclement, the terrorists shot at Lt Col Mirza and attempted to escape,” the statement said.
There was an exchange of fire, as a result of which two terrorists were killed. The forces also recovered improvised explosive devices and a cache of ammunition. However, in the process, the rest of the terrorists managed to escape from the spot with Omar.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed grief over the martyrdom of Lt Col Mirza.
“Our law enforcement agencies will seek and bring to justice all those who perpetrated this heinous crime,” the premier said.