A senior commander of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and a newly recruited member were reportedly shot dead by unidentified armed men in Khuzdar district of Balochistan.
According to local sources, the deceased IS commander has been identified as Asim Baloch, a resident of Mastung district. He had reportedly relocated to Khuzdar after ISKP hideouts in Mastung were targeted in earlier attacks. Asim Baloch was said to have been killed along with his Tajik associate, whose name has not yet been released.
The Tajik national was reportedly a recent recruit to ISKP and had been staying with the commander. Reports indicate that ISKP has previously recruited Tajik nationals for its operations in Afghanistan.
The incident follows the reported killing of another ISKP commander, identified as Hassan, in Karachi. Hassan, originally from Peshawar, was allegedly involved in training militants and planning cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.
Last month, ISKP claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing targeting a Balochistan National Party (BNP) rally in Quetta, which left 16 people dead and more than 30 injured.
Some Baloch political groups have alleged that ISKP maintains a presence in parts of Balochistan and operates with covert support from Pakistani intelligence agencies and the military, claiming the group has been allowed to establish safe houses and camps on the outskirts of Quetta.