Five terrorists were killed during the latest phase of Operation Shaban, taking the total number of terrorists killed in the operation and other intelligence-based operations across Balochistan since July 5 to 114, security sources said on Monday.
The joint operation by Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and Balochistan Police was launched in the wake of the terrorist attack at Mangi Dam police station and is ongoing, with forces intensifying efforts against terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij across the province.
Terrorists ambushed policemen posted in Kach Mangi Phase III area of Ziarat on Tuesday, triggering hour-long gunfights that left nine policemen, including two station house officers, dead. Terrorists also abducted several civilians and policemen after the attack.
The military subsequently launched a series of counter-terrorism operations across Balochistan.
According to the source, the joint operation is continuing with air and ground operations against the banned outfit. Fitna al-Khawarij is the term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The sources said Operation Shabaan would continue until “the last terrorist is eliminated.”
A day earlier, security forces killed seven terrorists in Balochistan. Security sources said the terrorists were killed during ongoing air and ground operations.
UNSC confirms increase in TTP attacks from Afghanistan
Terrorism has increased significantly in Pakistan, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, in recent days. The increase in terrorist activity has led to growing concern over the security situation in these regions. In response, security forces have carried out intensive operations to counter the threat, targeting terrorist groups.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in a report released in February, also drew attention to a series of attacks by the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) against Pakistani security forces and projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“On September 16, 2025, the BLA ambushed a Pakistani military convoy patrolling the corridor, killing 32 soldiers. While counterterrorism operations by Pakistan limited the BLA’s operational space, it remained active.”
The report added that some member states reported that the BLA cooperated with the TTP and ISIL-K through shared training camps and resources, coordination of attacks and meetings between commanders. Some member states assessed that there was neither an association nor growing ties between the BLA and Al Qaeda or ISIL.
Read: Four more terrorists killed in operation Shabaan: security sources
It further highlighted that various groups in Afghanistan had acquired modern weapons and equipment through cross-border smuggling and black market trade. “The TTP used advanced assault rifles, night vision equipment, thermal imaging equipment, sniper systems and drone strike systems. Most of these were provided by the de facto authorities in connection with weapons permits and travel documents,” it said.
In August 2025, the UN’s 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee Monitoring Team Annual Report said that outlawed terrorist groups – the BLA, including its Majeed Brigade, and the TTP had “close coordination”.
The UNSC report said that “some BLA attacks showed a high degree of complexity and brutality”, referring to the hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan on 11 March 2025, which killed 31 people, including 21 hostages.
