QUETTA: Security forces claimed to have killed three militants, including a key commander of the outlawed Baloch Republican Army (BRA), in Balochistan’s Kech district on Wednesday morning.

Spokesman for Frontier Corps told media that, acting on a tip-off regarding the presence of militants in the area, security forces launched an operation in Dasht area of district Kech and killed three miscreants belonging to the BRA.

He said a key militant commander of the banned outfit was also among the dead and added that security forces had also recovered weapons from their possession.

The spokesman further said the militants were involved in killings of labourers working at Shadi Kor Dam.

Additional security personnel reached the spot and started a probe into the incident.

The outlawed Baloch Republican Army (BRA), one of the major insurgent groups operating in Balochistan, is believed to be the militant wing of the separatist Baloch Republican Party (BRP).

Brahmdagh Bugti, who is the grandson of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and is living in self-exile in Switzerland, heads the BRP.

Dasht Tehsil of Kech district is considered to be one of the sensitive areas of Balochistan.

Militants in the area have been targeting security forces and pro-government personalities in the area since the past ten years.

The current unrest in the province gained in intensity after the 2006 killing of 79-year-old Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a revered figure for many rebels.