Pakistani forces claim to have killed three insurgents involved in the death of the local administrator

ISLAMABAD– Pakistani security forces have shot dead three insurgents involved in the recent killing of a senior government official in the country's restive southwest, the military said on Tuesday.

Security forces reportedly carried out a raid in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province, where members of a banned separatist group ambushed a vehicle carrying Deputy Regional Commissioner Zakir Baloch on August 12 and killed him.

The military said the men killed were members of the Baloch Liberation Army, which claimed responsibility for the attack on Baloch ahead of the country's Independence Day. The men were also involved in previous attacks, it said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for avenging Baloch's killing. He said the war on terrorism would continue until all insurgents were expelled from the country.

There was no initial comment from the Baloch Liberation Army; it was assumed that it would respond with further attacks.

Authorities say the insurgents have formed an alliance with the Pakistani Taliban, which also has a presence in Balochistan, where insurgent attacks have been ongoing as part of a long-running insurgency by groups seeking independence in the mineral- and gas-rich province on the border between Iran and Afghanistan.

Other militant Islamic groups are also present in the province.