Pakistani Army Kills 24 Militants in Balochistan

The Pakistani army announced in a statement today, Friday, that "24 militants were killed over three days in the troubled Balochistan province in the southwest of the country, less than a week before the general elections." The statement also mentioned the deaths of four law enforcement personnel and two civilians. On Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media arm of the Pakistani army, reported that "an armed group including suicide bombers attacked two areas in Balochistan." Pakistani authorities have heightened alertness amid rising violence in the country's border regions ahead of the general elections scheduled for next Thursday. The group aims for the independence of the mineral-rich mountainous Balochistan province, which is the largest province in Pakistan by area and the least populated, and has experienced ongoing unrest for decades.