Security forces have killed 48 terrorists linked to Indian-backed groups, including Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij, during a series of operations across Balochistan over the past 48 to 72 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
According to the military’s media wing, intelligence-based operations were carried out in Mastung, Quetta, Kalat and Sibi to counter militant activities. The operations resulted in the deaths of 36 terrorists, while additional militants were eliminated in separate engagements.
In Mastung, security personnel detected the movement of militants on September 4 and engaged them. An exchange of heavy fire followed, leaving six Indian-sponsored terrorists dead. Security forces also destroyed a quantity of ammunition and improvised explosive devices found at the site.
Separately, an intelligence-based operation was conducted in the Shaban area of Quetta district. During the operation, troops located four hideouts belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij. A firefight ensued, resulting in the deaths of 26 militants, according to ISPR.
Security forces also targeted a militant hideout in Kalat, killing two Indian-sponsored terrorists.
In another incident in Bhag, Sibi district, security personnel, supported by residents, successfully thwarted an attempted attack on the Bhag police station. Two Indian-sponsored terrorists were killed during the ensuing clash, the ISPR said.
Following the engagements, clearance and sanitisation operations were launched in the affected areas to locate and eliminate any remaining militants.
The ISPR said security forces and other law-enforcement agencies would maintain the momentum of their counterterrorism campaign under the government’s “Azm-e-Istehkam” framework, to eliminate foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.
Pakistan has faced a persistent rise in militant violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since 2021, following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.
