Pakistan’s security forces killed 145 militants over 40 hours following coordinated attacks across Balochistan, the province’s chief minister said on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest flare-ups in years.
According to a Reuters report, the violence also claimed 17 law enforcement personnel and 31 civilian lives.
The attacks, claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army under an operation dubbed “Herof” or “black storm,” targeted security forces across multiple districts, including Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung, and Noshki.
Hospitals were placed on emergency footing as the army, police, and counterterrorism units conducted large-scale clearance operations.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has faced a decades-long insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists demanding greater autonomy and a larger share of the region’s natural resources.
The chief minister, Sarfaraz Bugti, said the latest militant deaths include those killed on Friday and Saturday, along with additional militants killed during ongoing operations.
The military had earlier reported 92 militants killed on Saturday alone. Bugti described the total as the highest number of militant casualties in such a short span since the insurgency intensified.
Pakistan’s military claimed the attacks were carried out by “Indian-sponsored militants,” a charge New Delhi denied.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the allegation “baseless” and urged Islamabad to address the “long-standing demands of its people in the region.”
Security forces reported successfully repelling attempts by militants to seize any city or strategic installation, while emergency measures and intensified operations continue across the province.
Balochistan has also periodically faced assaults by Islamist militants elsewhere in Pakistan, including factions linked to the Pakistani Taliban.
With inputs from agencies
