Authorities in Pakistan said Saturday that a roadside bomb exploded near a military convoy in southwestern Baluchistan province, killing at least five soldiers.
An army statement said the deadly bombing occurred during a counterterrorism operation in the remote Kech district, claiming security forces killed “three terrorists” in the ensuing fierce gunfight.
In a statement, an insurgent group known as the Baluchistan Liberation Front took responsibility for the attack. BLF is one of several ethnic Baluch insurgent groups plotting attacks against Pakistani security forces in the province, claiming they are fighting for the independence of Baluchistan.
Earlier on Saturday, the military said its forces had killed four militants, including two key commanders, in separate counterterrorism raids in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
