The operation was carried out against the alleged killers of Lt Col Laiq Baig Mirza, an army officer who was kidnapped earlier this week while travelling to Quetta from Ziarat.

Security forces swooped down on a “hideout of terrorists” in the mountains near Ziarat after Thursday midnight, ISPR was quoted as saying by Dawn News.

Once the terrorists realised they had been encircled, according to the statement, they opened fire at the advancing contingent, resulting in the killing of Havildar Khan Muhammad.

The security forces later undertook a “clearance operation” and managed to eliminate five fighters belonging to the proscribed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) after a heavy exchange of fire, reports Dawn News.

The security forces then spotted another group of terrorists near Ziarat Nullah and killed four of them, the statement added.

The rest of the terrorists managed to escape.

“The nine bodies of terrorists are being handed over to the civil administration for completion of legal formalities,” officials said.