Six terrorists killed, several suspects held in Mastung operation: ISPR

QUETTA: Security forces killed six terrorists and arrested several others, including alleged facilitators as well as male and female suicide bombers, during an intelligence-based operation in the Khad Kocha area of Balochistan’s Mastung district, according to state media citing the Inter-Services Public Relations.

The operation was carried out on Thursday as part of the recently launched Operation Shaban, a joint campaign involving the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and Balochistan Police. The operation was launched after the attack on the Mangi Dam Police Station and is continuing.

State-run Pakistan Television, quoting ISPR, said the militants belonged to Fitna al-Hindustan, the term used by the state for terrorists linked to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army and other groups operating in the province. ISPR said multiple militant hideouts were destroyed and a large quantity of weapons and ammunition was recovered during the action.

The military’s media wing said security forces had stepped up operations in Balochistan, further tightening pressure on militant networks active in the province.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the conduct of the security forces and said they had thwarted the militants’ plans.

"The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with security forces for the complete elimination of the menace of Fitna al-Hindustan"

Earlier on Thursday, a district and sessions judge and his security guard were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle on the national highway in Mastung. An additional sessions judge and another person were seriously injured in the attack. Following the shooting, security forces and other law enforcement agencies sealed off the area, began a search operation and set up checkpoints at different locations to trace the attackers.

A day earlier, security forces had killed 10 terrorists and apprehended two female suicide bombers and a facilitator during multiple intelligence-based operations in Balochistan.

UN report flags militant activity

The report also referred to a United Nations Security Council assessment released in February, which highlighted a rise in attacks by the banned Baloch Liberation Army against Pakistani security forces and projects associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

On September 16, 2025, the BLA ambushed a Pakistani military convoy patrolling the corridor, killing 32 troops. Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations had restricted the group’s operational space, though it remained active.

The UNSC report said some member states believed the BLA had worked with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and ISIL-K through shared training camps and resources, including coordination in attacks and meetings between commanders. Some member states, however, assessed that there was no association or expanding link between the BLA and Al Qaeda or ISIL.

Various groups in Afghanistan had obtained modern weapons and equipment through cross-border smuggling and black-market trade.

"TTP used advanced assault rifles, night-vision devices, thermal-imaging devices, sniper systems and drone attack systems. Most of these were provided by the de facto authorities in conjunction with weapons permits and travel documents"

The article also cited the annual report of the UN’s 1988 Taliban sanctions committee monitoring team from August 2025, which said the outlawed BLA, including its Majeed Brigade, and the TTP had close coordination. The UNSC report added that some BLA attacks demonstrated a high level of complexity and brutality, citing the hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan on March 11, 2025, in which 31 people were killed, including 21 hostages.