Pakistani security forces have killed nearly 150 militants across the restive southwestern province of Balochistan in less than two days, as the country grapples with one of the region’s worst episodes of violence.
“We managed to kill 145 terrorists in 40 hours,” Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan, said on Sunday, according to Bloomberg.
The chief minister added that 31 civilians and 17 security personnel also lost their lives in the violence.
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Pakistan has seen increasing insurgent activity since last year, with the death toll from insurgent attacks rising nationwide to 3,967, the highest since 2015, according to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
The unrest has been particularly pronounced in the mineral-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, bordering Afghanistan, where Baloch nationalist groups have long sought greater autonomy and demanded a greater share of the region’s resources.
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As the situation develops, here are 10 points:
1. According to Pakistan’s military, violence erupted over the weekend after attackers dressed as ordinary civilians entered schools, hospitals, banks and markets and opened fire. Pakistan’s junior interior minister, Talal Chaudhry, commented on the same, saying, “In each case, the attackers came dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops.”
2. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks, which it said were a coordinated operation against security forces nicknamed Herof or “Black Storm”.
3. According to officials, the attacks were launched almost simultaneously in multiple districts, including Quetta, Gwadar, Matsungu and Noshki.
4. Armed militants not only opened fire on security installations but also attempted suicide bombings, according to the Pakistan Army. Of the 145 militants killed so far, 92 were killed on Saturday and another 41 were killed on Friday.
5. According to Reuters, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also claimed that at least two of the attacks involved female perpetrators, adding that BLA fighters were increasingly targeting civilians, workers and members of low-income communities.
6. Pakistan Army Reportedly Had Intelligence Reports of Coordinated BLA Attacks – “We had intelligence reports that this kind of operation was planned and as a result we launched preliminary operations the day before,” Chief Minister Bugti said, according to Reuters.
7. Although the Pakistani military claims 17 policemen were killed over the weekend, the BLA claimed to have killed as many as 84 members of the Pakistani security forces and captured another 18.
8. Pakistan also claimed that the militants responsible for the weekend attacks were “backed by Indians”, but India denied the allegations and accused Islamabad of diverting attention from its own domestic problems. We categorically reject the baseless allegations by Pakistan,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, adding that Islamabad should instead address the “long-standing demands of its people in the region”.
9. Meanwhile, the attacks were condemned by Washington, and US chargé d’affaires Natalie Baker described them as acts of terrorism and expressed her solidarity with Pakistan.
10. Currently, mobile internet services have been suspended across Balochistan and both road and train services remain disrupted while the Pakistan Army conducts “sanitization operations”.