RAWALPINDI: Five terrorists were killed and three others sustained injuries in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted by security forces in different Balochistan districts, the military’s media affairs wing informed on Friday.
A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said: “On night [of] 29/30 August, in three separate IBOs in District Kech, Panjgur, and Zhob, five terrorists were sent to hell by the security forces, while three terrorists got injured during the intense fire exchange.”
The IBOs come in the aftermath of numerous attacks by dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched on Sunday midnight across Balochistan, targeting security personnel as well as civilians.
At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives as militants went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles. In response, security forces neutralised 21 militants.
Among those killed were 23 people in Musakhail, mostly labourers from Punjab, who were offloaded from trucks and vans and shot dead after an identity check.
Referring to the deadly attacks earlier this week, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on friday: “The security forces are conducting extensive intelligence-based operations (IBOs) to hunt down the perpetrators of these heinous acts.
It added that the sanitisation operations would “continue until all perpetrators, facilitators, and abetters of these atrocious acts are brought to justice”.
“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability, and progress of Balochistan,” the military asserted.
Following the spate of attacks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday asserted that there was “no room for any weakness”. Similarly, President Asif Ali Zardari ordered effective measures to ensure the “complete elimination” of terrorism.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed his full support for the Balochistan government in combating terrorism when he visited the province on Tuesday. PM Shehbaz also undertook a one-day trip to the region to assess the security situation there.
Sharp rise in terror attacks
On August 19, the security forces killed three terrorists responsible for the killing of Panjgur’s deputy commissioner in an operation in Mastung.
Separately, three soldiers were martyred and five terrorists were killed the same day after security forces foiled an infiltration attempt at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district.
The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and KP.
Attacks escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target security forces.
According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.
