Pakistan Army Says 49 Terrorists Killed in Balochistan, KP Operations

Pakistan security forces have killed 49 alleged terrorists in separate intelligence-based operations across Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military said on Friday, as the country continues to face a surge in militant violence.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said 37 terrorists were killed in 10 operations conducted in Mastung, Mach, Khuzdar and Panjgur districts of Balochistan over the past few days. Security forces also recovered and destroyed weapons, explosive devices and remote-detonation equipment during the operations.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 12 terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij were killed in separate operations in Bannu, North Waziristan, Orakzai and Khyber districts. The term Khawarij is used by Pakistani authorities for banned militant organisations.

The ISPR said the operations were conducted under the government’s National Action Plan, adding that security forces and law-enforcement agencies remained committed to eliminating terrorism from the country.

Separately, six people were killed and two injured in an explosion at a farm in Kadh Kocha town of Mastung district, police said. Three farm workers died at the scene, while three others succumbed to their injuries at a nearby hospital. Two injured people remained under treatment.

Soon after the blast, two people were also gunned down in Kadh Kocha by unidentified assailants riding motorcycles. The circumstances and motives behind the incidents were not immediately clear.

The latest violence comes amid a sharp deterioration in Balochistan’s security situation. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, 372 people were killed in violence in Balochistan in July, up 241% from 109 deaths in June.

The think tank also reported that 62 security personnel were killed in July, compared with six in June. Pakistani security forces have intensified operations following a series of attacks by insurgent groups, including the July 6 Ziarat incident in which 27 policemen were killed.