UPDATE 4 - Dozens of suspected militants killed across Pakistan

UPDATES WITH FURTHER MILITANT DEATHS, POLICE CHIEF, DEPUTY HOME MINISTER COMMENT

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Clashes across Pakistan resulted in the deaths of 41 suspected militants, security officials said Friday.

The fighting came amid a fresh wave of terror attacks that have killed at least 100 people, including 88 in a Daesh-claimed suicide attack on a Sufi shrine in Sehwan, Sindh province.

In Karachi, paramilitary Rangers returning from helping in the clear-up operation in Sehwan, 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the commercial hub, came under attack in two incidents.

A Rangers spokesman said 18 suspected terrorists were killed and two Rangers were injured.

Operations in Peshawar and Quetta near the Afghan border resulted in five militant deaths, broadcaster Geo News TV reported, citing security sources.

Six were killed in a police operation in the northeastern district of Gujrat. A total of eight terror suspects were killed in operations in Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu, both in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and another four were killed in Orakzai tribal area south of Peshawar.

The army also said cross-border attacks on a checkpoint saw an unknown number of attackers killed.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of Pakistani militant groups, has unleashed a renewed wave of terror attacks in the last six days which has led to Pakistan closing its border with Afghanistan.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani condemned the shrine attack. “President Ghani believes honest determination in the fight against terrorism can ensure this dangerous phenomenon cannot continue to commit crimes against humanity,” his office said in a statement.

In statements of condolence, Russia and the U.S. condemned recent terrorism in Pakistan.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to step up counter-terrorism efforts with Pakistan while State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: “We stand with the people of Pakistan in their fight against terrorism and remain committed to the security of the south Asia region.”

Later, police said a further nine suspected militants were killed in Karachi. The suspects, including a potential suicide bomber, were from Jamat ul Ahrar, a faction of TTP, and were allegedly planning to bomb the Rangers’ headquarters in the city, Senior Police Supt. Rao Anwar told reporters.

Separately, Deputy Home Minister Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman told lawmakers how Jamat ul Ahrar had been recruiting child suicide bombers. The group had also been plotting an attack on a school in Lahore, Geo News TV reported.

* Diyar Guldogan and Muhammad Arsalan in Ankara contributed to this report.