Pakistan: 5 militants killed and a soldier died in military operation in Punjab province

On Sunday Pakistan Rangers and intelligence agencies launched a joint operation against wanted terrorists in the Punjab province, killing five militants in agun-battle in which a soldier also died.

On intelligence reports that some terrorists and their facilitators were holed up in a hideout in Chhera Thal, in the border belt of Dera Gazi Khan, a joint operation was launched this morning, Pakistan military's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

"Five terrorists have been killed so far and two apprehended in the ongoing operation. Soldier Kamran of Pakistan Rangers was also killed while another soldier Haroon sustained injuries and was shifted to combined military hospital in Multan by army helicopter," it said.

The ISPR said the operation was underway to flush out terrorists who were involved in heinous crimes, including murder of policemen.

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"Some 35 FIRs were registered against the terrorists invarious police stations," it said. Cherra Khal is a small border town some 350 km from Lahore.

"It is a tribal area of Punjab where the writ of the government/law enforcement agencies is non-existent and the hardened criminals had developed safe havens there," the ISPR said.

Yesterday police in Lahore shot dead 10 terrorists of the Jamat-ul-Ahrar and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who were involved in a suicide attack on policemen in Lahore last Februray in which 15 people including six police men were killed. 

Jamat-ul-Ahrar had claimed the responsibility of the attack.