ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed 50 terrorists in a four-day operation in the border region of the troubled Balochistan province.
The army said in an overnight statement that the terrorists were targeted on different occasions from August 7 to 11 in the Sambaza area of Zhob district along the border with Afghanistan.
Using the term for the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, it said that "47 khwarij were sent to hell", following successful engagements by the security forces from August 7-9.
Following this, a sanitisation operation was conducted in the surrounding areas of Sambaza along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on the intervening night of August 10-11.
During the operation, three more terrorists were "successfully neutralised", it said, adding that weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from those killed.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday commended the security forces for carrying out the successful operation, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Separately, nine security personnel including an officer were killed and six others injured on Monday night when their convoy was ambushed in Balochistan's southern Washuk district bordering Iran, the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting officials.
There has been no official statement by the army on the incident so far.
In Washuk, militants also attempted to attack a police station which was recently handed over to the police, the report said, adding that three policemen were injured in the incident, but security personnel managed to thwart the attack.