RAWALPINDI(National Times)- Security forces have killed 48 terrorists in multiple “high-tempo” anti-terror operations across Balochistan over the past three days, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
According to the military’s media wing, the operations were carried out in Mastung, Quetta, Kalat and Sibi districts against “Indian proxies, Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij”.
The state uses the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and has designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.
In an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Mastung district on Friday, security forces identified the movement of terrorists and engaged them. Six “Indian-sponsored terrorists” were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire, the ISPR said.
A cache of ammunition and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was also recovered and destroyed during the operation, it added.
In another IBO in the Shaban area of Quetta district, security forces identified “four khawarij hideouts”. Following an exchange of fire, 26 terrorists were killed, according to the ISPR.
In Kalat district, security forces raided a terrorist hideout, killing two terrorists in the ensuing firefight, the military said.
Meanwhile, in the Bhag area of Sibi district, security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to raid a local police station. Two terrorists were killed in the operation, according to the ISPR.
“In last 48-72 hours, 48 terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij have been neutralised across Balochistan,” the ISPR said.
Earlier today, ISPR issued a statement regarding a September 2 IBO in Kalat district, where 12 terrorists were killed. The IBO was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy Fitna-al-Hindustan, the military’s media wing said.
President Asif Ali Zardari hailed the professional capabilities of the security forces for eliminating the terrorists in operations across Balochistan.
“The killing of more than 1,188 terrorists in Balochistan this year alone is evidence of the threats facing Pakistan and the readiness of the security forces,” he said in a statement.
The president expressed the government’s firm resolve to eradicate “foreign-backed and enabled terrorism” from the country.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also commended the security forces for the series of operations that resulted in the killing of 36 terrorists, APP reported.
In a statement, Naqvi said their elimination reflected the forces’ operational capabilities and commitment to maintaining security, highlighting that the forces had thwarted plans of elements seeking to destabilise the country.
He noted that the forces had been conducting effective actions in different regions to counter terrorism and prevent attacks on civilians and state institutions.
The interior minister emphasised that Pakistan’s fight against terrorism required continued national unity and support for the institutions
‘Coordinated’ attack in Bhag foiled
Earlier in the day, the Balochistan government issued a statement on the Bhag attack, saying that two policemen were among five people injured as law enforcers foiled a “coordinated” terrorist attack on a police station, bank and the assistant commissioner’s office.
Shahid Rind, the chief minister’s aide for political and media affairs, said in a post on X that about 40 terrorists attacked the three places using “heavy weapons, rocket launchers, machine guns, sniper rifles and hand grenades”.
Rind said the terrorists failed to take control of the Bhag police station or seize weapons from the facility.
He highlighted that the cops “bravely confronted the terrorists for nearly two hours”, inflicting heavy casualties and material loss to the attackers, who were “forced to retreat”. The CM’s aide noted that the strong protective wall of the police station played a crucial role in the defensive action.
Rind further said that the terrorists failed to loot cash from the “national bank”, while a special branch of the Bomb Disposal Unit defused an IED planted by the terrorists in the facility.
Two police personnel were injured by the terrorists’ firing, while three citizens were also hurt, Rind said, adding that medical aid was being provided to them all.
Following the terrorist attack, the people of Bhag expressed solidarity with police and lauded their bravery, he said, affirming that the people of Balochistan stood with police and security forces in the fight against terrorism.
“Bhag police proved that terrorists would not be allowed to challenge the writ of the state,” Rind asserted.
Surge in terrorism
The series of counterterrorism operations come amid a recent surge in terrorist activities in Balochistan.
On the night of Aug 31-Sept 1, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists launched a coordinated attack on the Customs House, located at Ziarat Cross on the N-50 National Highway, in Pishin district.
While security forces responded effectively and killed 10 terrorists, two officers were among six martyred in the fire exchange, ISPR said.
Also on August 31, 11 terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan, who had blocked the N-40 Quetta-Taftan highway by establishing an illegal checkpoint for extortion in Chagai’s Nokcha area, were eliminated following an intense exchange of fire.
According to security officials, a convoy of “empty vehicles” from the Reko Diq copper and gold project had come under attack in the same area of Nokcha while it was travelling to Quetta from the project site.
The same day, it was reported that two terrorists had also been killed during an IBO in Washuk district.
Last month, the security situation remained most severe in Balochistan, where the number of terrorist attacks increased by seven per cent from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to a monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
