Pakistan's military says it has foiled an attempt by militants linked to the extremist group Islamic State (IS) to establish a base in the southwestern region of Balochistan.
The army said five soldiers were wounded and 12 "hard-core terrorists" of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami extremist group were killed in a three-day operation earlier this month in a mountainous area near Mastung district.
The June 1-3 operation "successfully denied the establishment of any direct or indirect IS-organized infrastructure in Pakistan," a statement said.
It said a bomb-making facility was destroyed and explosives, suicide bombing vests, grenades, and other weapons were seized.
The operation came after IS militants claimed responsibility for a suicide attack targeting a Pakistani lawmaker last month in the Mastung district in which 25 people were killed.