KHARAN, BALOCHISTAN: A large military operation was launched on Saturday morning in the Lijay area of Balochistan’s Kharan district, according to local reports, with intense clashes reported.
Reports said a large number of Pakistani security personnel began the operation early in the morning, supported by drones. According to the reports, Pakistani forces took part from two directions: one group from the Kharan camp and another from Patkin toward Lijay.
Local reports also said three remote-controlled bomb blasts targeted the Pakistani forces as they advanced. No group has yet claimed the attack’s responsibility and there is no confirmed information on casualties or damage from the blasts.
Lijay area of Kharan has seen earlier operations. Pakistani state media reported that security forces killed seven alleged militants there in an operation during a counterterrorism campaign known as Radd-ul-Fitna 3, while local sources in a separate report alleged a civilian was killed in a drone strike. Baloch armed groups are active in Kharan district, and security officials said on October 30 that five drones aimed at a checkpost in the district were shot down.
