ISIS key commanders killed in Pak raid

After reports said Chinese nationals were being held in Mashtung

Karachi, June 4: Pakistani forces said on Sunday they have killed a number of ISIS key commanders in an operation based on intelligence reports that the militants were holding two Chinese nationals abducted from Balochistan last month.

The operation was carried out in the mountaneous Mastung district after intelligence reports said the group was holding the Chinese nationals kidnapped on May 24 from Jinnah Town of Quetta. Jinnah Town is one of the affluent residential areas where Chinese NGOs teach mandarin.

“We received information that the two Chinese language teachers kidnapped from Quetta were being held in the hills of Mastung,” Balochistan government spokesman Abdul Kakar said.

“The pair was not found but at least 12 militants were killed in the gun battles,” according to a security official.

The official said the vehicles used in the kidnapping of the Chinese nationals were found at the hideout however. The security operation began on Friday and was still on.

The security forces did not identify those killed in the operation, but Dawn reported that they included the top leadership of the ISIS in Pakistan.

Suicide vests, weapons and explosives were also recovered from the scene, which Pakistani officials said could have been used for launching terror attacks in the province.

Seven Pakistani soldiers were injured in the operation, and two were said to be critical, another official said.