In a swift response to ongoing militant insurgency, Pakistani security forces have reported the successful elimination of 17 militants in a series of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted in the volatile regions of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan. This announcement was made by the Pakistani military on Friday.
These operations follow closely on the heels of a string of deadly coordinated attacks by ethnic Baloch insurgents in Balochistan, which resulted in the loss of over 50 lives. The attacks, targeting both civilian and military establishments, have heightened tensions in the already troubled region.
The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reported that five militants were neutralized and three others were wounded in operations conducted in Balochistan’s Kech, Panjgur, and Zhob districts on August 29-30. Additionally, 12 militants were killed in the Tirah Valley of KP’s Khyber tribal district during operations on August 28-29. These recent engagements bring the total number of militants killed in the region since August 20 to 37, with 14 others injured.
“The intelligence-based operations will persist until peace is fully restored in the area,” ISPR declared, reaffirming the Pakistani security forces’ resolve to eradicate terrorism from the country.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which shares a border with Afghanistan, has witnessed a surge in attacks targeting police, security forces, and anti-polio vaccination teams in recent months, many of which have been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In Balochistan, a region that borders both Iran and Afghanistan, a low-level insurgency led by separatist militants has simmered for over two decades. The recent spate of violence, including the attacks on Sunday, was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a prominent separatist group seeking independence. The BLA accuses the state of exploiting the mineral-rich region’s resources, a charge the government vehemently denies.
