Pakistan forces destroy militant camps in Balochistan

Dec 30, 2006, 6:20 GMT

Islamabad - Pakistani security forces destroyed several militant bases during helicopter gunship strikes in the restive southern province of Balochistan, news reports said Saturday.

More than half a dozen aircraft targeted strongholds of ethnic Baloch rebels who are fighting government forces in the remote Dera Bugti district, sources told the English-language Dawn newspaper.

There was no official information about casualties in the operation on Friday morning. A militant spokesman claimed fighters of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army shot down one helicopter and killed more than a dozen troops.

The ongoing conflict with the rebels has been overshadowed by broader operations against Taliban fighters believed to be launching attacks from border regions of Balochistan into Afghanistan.

The fighting has displaced 84,000 persons, many of whom are facing starvation, according to the United Nations. After months of stalling, the Pakistani government last week approved a million- dollar UNICEF-led aid programme for the area.