Overnight follow-up operations continue following coordinated BLA attacks across the province
Pakistan’s security forces have continued counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan and killed another 22 terrorists during overnight follow-up operations, security sources said on Monday.
The latest casualties bring the total number of terrorists killed in the past three days to at least 177, according to the sources.
The ongoing campaign involves disinfection and clearance operations targeting terrorists and their facilitators across several locations in the province. Security forces, including intelligence agencies and police, are tightening their cordon as part of the ongoing effort, the sources said, adding that further casualties have been inflicted on terror networks.
Earlier, at a press conference in Quetta, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti described the operation as one of the most extensive intelligence-led operations carried out in such a short time frame. He said the crackdown followed a series of coordinated attacks claimed by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
According to the military’s media wing, 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.
Read: 145 terrorists killed in 40-hour counter-terror blitz
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 in a family labor colony despite pleading for their lives.
He also said terrorists damaged surveillance infrastructure, including Safe City cameras in Quetta, but added that the system had since been improved and expanded to strengthen the cities’ surveillance and response capacity.
The chief minister said terrorists used children as human shields during attacks in Quetta, complicating operational decisions. “They had an 11-year-old child with them. Should the police kill an 11-year-old?” he asked.
