Pakistan says forces kill 9 insurgents after officer’s death

By MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say Pakistani forces have killed at least nine separatists in a remote area of the country’s restive southwest. Authorities said Friday said the operation was launched after an outlawed group abducted and killed an army officer whose body was found the previous day. The latest development comes hours after authorities confirmed the insurgents disguised as police killed Col. Laeeq Mirza after abducting them when he was traveling with his family in Baluchistan province Tuesday. His family was not harmed. The outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army, designated a “terrorist” group by the United States in 2019, has claimed responsibility for Mirza’s killing.