Security forces kill 17 terrorists in Balochistan operations, says ISPR

QUETTA: Security forces killed 17 terrorists in a series of intelligence-based operations in several districts of Balochistan after the May 24 attack on a shuttle train in Quetta, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the military’s media wing said the operations were carried out in Mastung, Nushki, Khuzdar and Kech districts. the same ISPR statement said Zehri among the areas where the operations took place.

The ISPR said troops engaged multiple terrorist locations during the operations. That, after intense exchanges of fire, 17 militants linked to what it described as Indian-sponsored Fitna al Hindustan were killed.

"Following intense and fierce exchanges of fire, 17 terrorists belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al Hindustan have been sent to hell, giving a significant blow to the terrorist networks operating in these areas"

The military’s media wing said weapons, ammunition, improvised explosive devices and a large quantity of explosives were recovered from those killed. The militants had been actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.

According to ISPR, sanitisation operations were continuing to clear the affected areas. The statement said the counterterrorism campaign under Azm e Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace with the involvement of security forces and law enforcement agencies.

The May 24 suicide car bomb attack targeted a shuttle train in Quetta. At least 14 people were killed and 20 others were injured in that incident.

The state has designated Balochistan-based militant groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan, saying the term reflects India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation in Pakistan.

Last month a major was among five soldiers martyred during an area sanitisation operation in Barkhan district, where seven terrorists were also killed in an operation carried out by the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps.

Pakistan has seen a renewed rise in militancy since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Taliban administration to dismantle militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, but officials say those requests have not been acted upon.