Assalamualaikum - Military says 18 ‘Indian-sponsored terrorists’ killed in Balochistan operations
Assalamualaikum. ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military media wing said on Thursday that 18 “Indian-sponsored terrorists” were killed this week during operations in southwestern Balochistan, and vowed to intensify efforts to rid the country of militancy.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the militants were killed in two separate counter-terror raids on Oct. 28 and 29. In the first operation in the Chiltan Mountains of Quetta district, 14 militants were reportedly killed after security forces acted on information about armed men in the area.
In a second raid in Buleda, Kech district, the military said a “terrorist hideout” was dismantled and four militants were killed. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from those killed, and the ISPR said they had been involved in multiple militant acts.
The statement added that “sanitization operations” are underway to find and remove any other Indian-sponsored militants in the area, and that the counter-terror campaign under the vision “Azm e Istehkam” (approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan) will continue at full speed by Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies.
Pakistan has long been confronting insurgencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where militancy has risen in recent years. The ISPR also reported a day earlier that six Pakistani soldiers, including a captain, were killed in the Kurram district during a separate counter-terror operation.
In Balochistan, some ethnic Baloch militant groups accuse the federal government of denying locals a fair share of the province’s mineral wealth and demand independence. Islamabad rejects those claims and says it is carrying out health, education and social development projects in the province.
The most well-known separatist group is the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), blamed for several deadly attacks on security forces in recent years. In March this year BLA fighters attacked the Jaffar Express, taking many hostages; that incident ended after a lengthy military operation that left 33 militants dead and caused casualties among soldiers, railway staff and passengers.
Pakistan’s military and civilian leaders have repeatedly accused India of backing militant activity in Balochistan; India denies this and says Pakistan supports militancy in parts of Kashmir controlled by India. Pakistan has also accused elements in Afghanistan of allowing cross-border attacks from its soil, a charge Kabul denies.
May Allah protect the innocent and guide all parties toward peace and stability in the region. Waalaikum assalam.
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