Pakistan kills militant wanted for more than 100 murders

ISLAMABAD: A notorious militant wanted for more than 100 murders was killed in an intense gunfight with security forces in southwestern Pakistan, the military said.

Pakistani forces yesterday raided the Killi Almas village on the outskirts of Quetta, capital of the restive Balochistan province, based on a tip that there were suicide bombers hiding there, according to a military statement.

Three militants were killed in the firefight that erupted, including Salman Badeni, the provincial commander of the sectarian militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

Badeni – described by authorities as a “high-value target” – was wanted for his involvement in the killing of more than 100 people, including policemen and members of the minority Syiah Hazara community.

The other two militants were suicide bombers, the military said.

An army intelligence officer was also killed in the operation, it added, and four other soldiers were wounded – two of them critically.

LeJ, a Sunni group, is widely considered to be one of the most violent sectarian outfits in Pakistan.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of high-profile attacks in recent years on Syiahs, who are considered heretics by sectarian Sunni extremists.

Several militant groups are active in Balochistan, including the Taliban and local affiliates of the Islamic State group. — AFP