QUETTA/RAWALPINDI (MNN); Security forces have eliminated 48 terrorists during a series of high-tempo counterterrorism operations conducted across Balochistan over the past three days, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
According to the military’s media wing, intelligence-based and other security operations were carried out in Mastung, Quetta, Kalat and Sibi districts against terrorists described by the state as belonging to Indian proxy groups, Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij.
Pakistan uses the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Balochistan-based militant groups have been designated as Fitna-al-Hindustan.
In an intelligence-based operation in Mastung district on Friday, security forces detected the movement of terrorists and engaged them. Six alleged Indian-sponsored terrorists were killed in the exchange of fire, ISPR said.
Security personnel also recovered and destroyed a cache of ammunition and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during the operation.
In another intelligence-based operation in Quetta’s Shaban area, security forces identified four alleged militant hideouts. Following an intense exchange of fire, 26 terrorists were killed, according to ISPR.
Security forces also targeted a terrorist hideout in Kalat district, where two terrorists were killed during the ensuing firefight.
Meanwhile, in Bhag area of Sibi district, security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to attack a local police station, killing two attackers during the operation.
ISPR said that a total of 48 terrorists linked to Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij were neutralised across Balochistan during the past 48 to 72 hours.
Earlier on Friday, ISPR also released details of a September 2 intelligence-based operation in Kalat district, in which 12 terrorists were killed following reports about the presence of militants linked to Fitna-al-Hindustan.
President Asif Ali Zardari praised the professional capabilities of the security forces and commended their efforts in eliminating terrorists during operations across the province.
He said the elimination of more than 1,188 terrorists in Balochistan during the current year reflected both the serious security challenges facing the country and the preparedness of Pakistan’s security forces.
The president reaffirmed the government’s determination to eliminate foreign-backed terrorism from the country.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised the security forces for their continued counterterrorism operations, saying the elimination of militants demonstrated their operational capability and commitment to protecting national security.
He said security forces were carrying out effective actions across different regions to prevent terrorist attacks against civilians and state institutions, stressing that national unity and public support remained essential in the fight against terrorism.
Coordinated Attack in Bhag Foiled
Earlier, the Balochistan government said law enforcement agencies had foiled a coordinated terrorist attack in Bhag, where militants targeted a police station, a bank and the office of the assistant commissioner.
According to Shahid Rind, the chief minister’s aide for political and media affairs, around 40 terrorists allegedly participated in the attack and used heavy weapons, rocket launchers, machine guns, sniper rifles and hand grenades.
He said the attackers failed to capture the Bhag police station or seize weapons from the facility.
Police personnel resisted the attackers for nearly two hours, inflicting casualties and material losses before forcing them to retreat. Rind said the strong protective wall around the police station played an important role in preventing the attackers from gaining control of the building.
The militants also failed to loot cash from the National Bank, while a Bomb Disposal Unit successfully defused an IED planted at the facility.
Two police personnel and three civilians were injured during the attack and were provided medical assistance.
Following the incident, residents of Bhag expressed solidarity with police and security forces and praised their response to the attack.
Rind said the Bhag police had demonstrated that terrorists would not be allowed to challenge the writ of the state.
Rise in Terrorist Activity
The latest counterterrorism operations come amid a renewed surge in militant activity across Balochistan.
On the night of August 31 and September 1, TTP militants launched a coordinated attack on the Customs House at Ziarat Cross along the N-50 National Highway in Pishin district.
Security forces responded to the attack and killed 10 terrorists, while six people, including security personnel, were martyred during the exchange of fire.
On August 31, security forces also killed 11 alleged Fitna-al-Hindustan militants in Chagai district after they reportedly established an illegal checkpoint on the N-40 Quetta-Taftan Highway in the Nokcha area.
The operation followed an attack on a convoy of empty vehicles travelling from the Reko Diq copper and gold project towards Quetta.
Two more terrorists were reportedly killed during an intelligence-based operation in Washuk district on the same day.
According to a recent monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), terrorist attacks in Balochistan increased by seven per cent, rising from 83 incidents in July to 89 in August, highlighting the worsening security situation in the province.
