Security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Balochistan, killing 22 more terrorists during overnight follow-up actions, security sources said on Monday. The latest casualties bring the total number of terrorists killed in operations over the past three days to at least 177, according to the sources.
The ongoing campaign involves sanitisation and clearance operations aimed at terrorists and their facilitators across multiple locations in the province. Security forces, including intelligence agencies and police, are tightening their cordon as part of the sustained effort, the sources said, adding that further losses have been inflicted on terrorist networks.
Meanwhile, residents of Quetta and other cities in Balochistan continued to face difficulties on Monday as mobile internet services remained suspended for the third day in a row. Mobile phone data was suspended in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan and other cities on Saturday.
Balochistan’s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat told the media that the services were expected to be restored today.
Earlier, speaking at a press conference in Quetta, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti described the operation as one of the most extensive intelligence-led actions conducted in such a short timeframe. He said the crackdown followed a series of coordinated assaults claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
According to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, terrorists launched coordinated attacks at several locations on Saturday, targeting security installations and civilian areas across Quetta, Mastung, Noshki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.
Security forces responded with sustained clearance operations and standoffs, killing 92 terrorists on the first day. The military said 18 civilians were also killed, while 15 security personnel “fought gallantly and embraced martyrdom” during the operations.
Bugti accused terrorists of deliberately targeting civilians and exploiting vulnerable populations. Referring to an incident in Gwadar, he said five women and three children were killed at a family labour colony despite pleading for their lives.