ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, five Pakistani soldiers, including a major in the Pakistan Army, and seven militants were killed during a counterterrorism operation in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan, according to the Pakistani military’s media wing.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan Army, and the paramilitary Balochistan Frontier Corps launched a joint clearance operation in the Nosham area of the Barkhan district after receiving intelligence about militant activity. Security forces reportedly killed seven militants during the operation and recovered weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the site.

The operation is part of an intensified Pakistani military campaign against insurgent groups operating in Balochistan. Pakistani security forces had earlier killed 15 militants in the Harnai and Basima districts in March and another 10 militants in the Zhob district in February.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, has faced a long-running separatist insurgency and frequent militant attacks targeting Pakistani security forces and government infrastructure. The Pakistani government has repeatedly accused the Baloch Liberation Army and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan of carrying out attacks across the region.