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Pakistani security forces killed 145 militants in a 40-hour battle launched as a series of coordinated gun and bomb attacks across Balochistan left nearly 50 people dead, the province’s chief minister said on Sunday.
Authorities in this southwestern province are grappling with one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in years, as insurgents in the resource-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan step up attacks on security forces, civilians and infrastructure.
Attackers dressed as ordinary civilians entered hospitals, schools, banks and markets on Saturday before opening fire, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said.
“In each case, the attackers arrived dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops,” he said, adding that the militants used civilians as human shields.
The banned separatist group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it had launched a coordinated operation dubbed Herof, or “black storm”, targeting security forces across the province.
In Quetta, the provincial capital, the aftermath was visible in burned-out vehicles at a police station, bullet-riddled gates and streets cordoned off with yellow tape, as security forces stepped up patrols and restricted movement following the attacks.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said 17 law enforcement personnel and 31 civilians were killed in the militant attacks. Pakistan’s military said 92 militants were killed on Saturday and 41 on Friday.
“We received intelligence reports that this type of operation was being prepared and, following that, we started preliminary operations the day before,” Bugti said.
The latest total represents the highest number of militants killed in such a short time since the insurgency intensified, Bugti said, without providing comparative figures.
Officials said the militant assaults were launched almost simultaneously in Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki districts, with gunmen opening fire on security installations including a Frontier Corps headquarters, attempting suicide attacks and briefly blocking roads in urban areas. This triggered large-scale counter-operations by the army, police and anti-terrorism units.
Outside a damaged store, private security guard Jamil Ahmed Mashwani said the attackers struck shortly after noon. “They hit me in the face and head.”
Coordinated province-wide attacks
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, has faced a decades-long insurgency led by Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a greater share of its natural resources.
The group claimed to have killed 84 Pakistani security forces and captured 18 others. Reuters could not independently verify this claim. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said two of the attacks involving women and militants increasingly targeted civilians, workers and low-income communities.
The military said security forces repelled attempts by militants to take control of a town or strategic installation.
Complaints and reproaches
Pakistan’s military said Saturday that the attacks were carried out by “Indian-sponsored militants.” India, Pakistan’s main rival, denied the claim on Sunday, accusing Islamabad of diverting attention from its own internal problems.
“We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, adding that Islamabad should instead respond to the “long-standing demands of its people in the region.”
The United States condemned the attacks, with U.S. deputy chief of mission Natalie Baker calling them acts of terrorist violence and saying Washington stood in solidarity with Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army is designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.
Pakistan regularly faces attacks by Islamist militants elsewhere in the country, including factions linked to the Pakistani Taliban.
