145 militants killed in Balochistan crackdown after coordinated attacks: Pak

Pakistani security forces say they have killed at least 145 militants in Balochistan during a major counter-operation launched after a wave of coordinated gun and bomb attacks that killed nearly 50 people across the province.

AL Jazeera reported that the announcement on Sunday followed a series of assaults that began early on Saturday at multiple locations in southwestern Balochistan. Officials said 31 civilians, including five women, and 17 members of the security forces were killed in the attacks, which were claimed by the banned separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

In response, provincial authorities imposed sweeping security measures, including bans on public gatherings and demonstrations, restrictions on traffic movement and a prohibition on face coverings that conceal a person’s identity in public spaces.

Speaking in Quetta, Balochistan’s chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, said police and troops had responded swiftly, killing 145 members of what he described as “Fitna al-Hindustan”, a term used by the government to refer to the BLA. He said the death toll among militants over the past two days was the highest recorded in decades.

“The bodies of these terrorists are in our custody, and some of them are Afghan nationals,” Bugti told reporters. He claimed the attackers had intended to seize hostages but were prevented from reaching central areas of the provincial capital.

Pakistan’s military said 92 militants were killed on Saturday and a further 41 on Friday, as security forces carried out pre-emptive and reactive operations based on intelligence warnings.

Bugti accused both India and Afghanistan of backing the assailants, alleging that senior BLA leaders were operating from Afghan territory. New Delhi and Kabul have strongly denied the claims.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the allegations as unfounded, saying Pakistan was attempting to divert attention from its internal challenges. “We categorically reject these baseless accusations,” a spokesperson said, urging Islamabad to address longstanding grievances in the region.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, has endured decades of insurgency by ethnic Baloch groups demanding greater autonomy and a larger share of revenues from the area’s natural resources.

The BLA has frequently targeted security forces and infrastructure, and has also carried out attacks on civilians, including Chinese nationals involved in development projects.

Officials said Saturday’s attacks were launched almost simultaneously in the districts of Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki. Armed men opened fire on security installations, attempted suicide bombings and briefly blocked roads in urban centres.

Residents described scenes of chaos and fear. In Quetta, damaged vehicles, bullet-scarred buildings and sealed-off streets marked the aftermath, as security patrols intensified and businesses were forced to close.

According to Pakistan’s junior interior minister, Talal Chaudhry, attackers disguised as civilians entered public spaces such as hospitals, schools, banks and markets before opening fire. He accused the militants of using civilians as human shields.

Defence minister Khawaja Asif said some of the attacks involved female fighters and warned that militant violence was increasingly targeting civilians, labourers and low-income communities.

The United States condemned the assaults, calling them acts of terrorism and expressing solidarity with Pakistan. Washington designates the BLA as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Pakistan has also faced regular attacks by other armed groups, including factions linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, underscoring persistent security challenges across several regions of the country.