KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistani security forces have killed at least 145 militants over a 40-hour period following a wave of coordinated attacks across the southwestern province of Balochistan, provincial officials said, marking one of the deadliest escalations in the region in recent years.
The province’s Chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, told reporters on Sunday, February 1, that the death toll also includes 17 security personnel and 31 civilians, bringing the total fatalities linked to the violence to well over 190. Bugti described the security response as intense and widespread, involving army, police, and counterterrorism units operating in multiple districts, including Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki.
The violence began with what officials called a series of coordinated gun and bomb attacks by militants linked to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a group Islamabad designates as a terrorist organization. The assaults hit several urban centers and targeted security installations, police units and civilian areas, including hospitals and markets, according to provincial authorities.
Pakistani officials have accused foreign actors of backing the insurgents, though the Government of India has strongly denied these allegations, calling them unfounded and a distraction from Pakistan’s internal challenges.
Balochistan, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has long faced a separatist insurgency driven by ethnic Baloch groups seeking greater autonomy and control over the province’s vast natural resources. Despite repeated military operations over the years, violence has surged in recent months, underscoring ongoing security challenges for Islamabad.
