Three-day Balochistan operation leaves 197 militants dead, 22 soldiers martyred

• Operations followed foiled attacks at 12 locations across Balochistan.
• Clearance and follow-up actions led to further militant casualties.
• 22 soldiers martyred while protecting civilians, and state assets.

A sweeping counterterrorism crackdown in Balochistan has left 197 militants linked to India-sponsored Fitna al-Hindustan dead, after security forces moved in following coordinated terror attacks that ripped through 12 towns across the province over three days.

The February 31 attacks brought Pakistan's largest province to a near standstill as the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) struck nearly a dozen targets in one of their largest-ever operations, martyring 17 security officials and 31 civilians.

Terrorists struck civilians in Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni on the weekend. 

Security sources said 22 Pakistani soldiers were martyred over the past three days while defending the country and protecting civilians.

The sources added that 36 civilians were also martyred in terrorist attacks, including women and children.

Saturday's attacks came a day after the military's media wing said that forces had killed 41 insurgents in two separate operations in the province.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement released after the first wave of the clearance operation that terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan had maliciously targeted 18 innocent civilians —including women, children, the elderly, and labourers — who embraced shahadat.

The statement said the attacks targeted innocent civilians in Gwadar and Kharan and were intended to disrupt daily life and development in Balochistan.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies responded immediately and launched intense clearance operations across the province, killing 92 India-backed terrorists, including three suicide bombers.

The ISPR stated that security forces "successfully thwarted the evil design of terrorists displaying unwavering courage and professional excellence".

"Our valiant troops carried out the engagement of terrorists with precision," the statement added.

However, 15 security personnel embraced martyrdom, having fought gallantly during clearance operations and intense standoffs, it added.

Security forces then launched sanitisation operations in the affected areas to bring to justice the instigators, perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of the attacks, targeting civilians and LEAs.

"Intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attacks were orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from outside Pakistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident," the ISPR stated.

The BLA has intensified attacks on Pakistanis from other provinces working in the region in recent years, as well as foreign energy firms.

Last year, the separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board, sparking a deadly two-day siege.