Security sources say a large number of militants killed in Balochistan since July 5 has now reached 75. Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations expanded after a deadly attack on a police station. Therefore, forces from the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, and Balochistan Police have ramped up ground and air missions across the province’s mountainous areas under Operation Shaaban.
Of the total, 39 militants died during Operation Shaaban alone. Authorities launched that operation after the Mangi Dam Police Station attack. Meanwhile, a separate operation in Khuzdar killed 13 more militants on Friday, including several through helicopter strikes.
Operation Shaaban began immediately after militants attacked the Mangi Dam Police Station. That assault triggered a joint response from the Army, Frontier Corps, and Balochistan Police. Sources confirmed Friday that the operation has killed 39 militants so far. Of those, forces killed 26 on Monday and Tuesday, while another 13 died over the past 24 hours.
Security forces have since tightened their cordon around the rugged, mountainous terrain where the operation continues. Multiple ground and aerial missions remain underway against militants believed to be hiding in the region.
A separate incident unfolded Friday in the Zehri area of Khuzdar district. Forces repelled an attack on a local police station there. Eight militants died in a swift response from Army and Frontier Corps troops. Additionally, helicopter operations in the same area killed another five to six militants.
Pakistan’s military reported Wednesday that security forces killed 54 militants over the previous three days. However, the violence also claimed 42 lives, including soldiers, police officers, and civilians, across three separate militant attacks. Military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the dead included 11 soldiers, 27 police officers, and four civilians.
Chaudhry explained that militants launched a coordinated assault on a police checkpoint in Ziarat. Nine officers died on the first day of that attack. Subsequent fighting then claimed another 18 officers, raising the district’s police death toll to 27. Still, security forces killed 15 militants during the initial phase of the operation, and efforts to clear remaining attackers continued afterward.
Chaudhry described the recent surge in violence as part of a broader campaign to undermine Pakistan’s peace, stability, and economic development. He alleged that hostile elements were backing militant groups to destabilize the country. Pakistani authorities refer to militants from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as “Fitna al-Khwarij.”
He also repeated Pakistan’s longstanding claim that militants operate from Afghan territory under Taliban control. According to Chaudhry, they use that territory as a base to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan. He added that operations will continue until authorities bring every terrorist and facilitator threatening Pakistan’s security to justice.
These operations come as Pakistan intensifies counterterrorism efforts across several regions, particularly along its western border, where militant attacks have increased. Finally, authorities said the military, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement continue coordinated ground and air operations against militant hideouts throughout the region.
