Islamabad, Jun 9 (IANS): The Islamic State (IS) terror group has claimed it killed two Chinese nationals who were abducted from Pakistan's Balochistan region in May, the media reported on Friday.

The IS-linked Amaq news agency made the claim on Thursday night in an Arabic statement on the Telegram messaging app, reports the BBC.

A senior Pakistani government official, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn news that an investigation is underway into the IS claim that the Chinese couple has been killed.

The claim came hours after the military's press wing Inter-Services Public Relations released details of a three-day operation in the Mastung area of Balochistan earlier this month targeting "IS facilitators", in which security forces had killed 12 "hardcore terrorists, including two suicide bombers".

The official said that the vehicle used in the kidnapping of the couple was found during the Mastung operation.

"We cannot confirm the claims made by the IS right now," the official told Dawn news.

The two Chinese nationals, a man and a woman, were teachers at a private language school in Quetta city.

They were kidnapped from the Jinnah town neighbourhood on May 24 by gunmen dressed as police who stopped their car.

A bystander who attempted to intervene was shot and injured while rescuing a third person.

Following the abduction, 11 Chinese nationals also living in Quetta were shifted to Karachi for their evacuation to Beijing.