Pakistan says over 71 militants killed in Balochistan operations in 96 hours

Pakistan’s military said on Sunday that security forces had killed more than 71 “India-sponsored terrorists” in Operation Shaban and other areas of Balochistan over the past 96 hours.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the operation was launched on September 21 in Ziarat and surrounding areas after intelligence agencies identified what it described as hideouts of “Indian-sponsored Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan” in Shaban, Quetta district. In the initial phase, troops engaged the militants and cleared several hideouts, killing 33 and recovering weapons, ammunition and explosives, the ISPR said.

The military said the operation was intensified over the last 72 hours, killing 23 more militants, while separate intelligence-based operations killed 11 militants in Noshki on September 25 and six in Mand. The state uses the term Fitna al Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Fitna al Hindustan for Balochistan-based groups it links to Indian sponsorship.

The ISPR accused the Afghan Taliban regime of involvement in terrorism inside Pakistan backed by India — a claim Islamabad has made repeatedly during the recent escalation along the border. The statement said clearance operations would continue “until complete neutralisation of the threat” as part of the Azm-i-Istehkam counter-terrorism campaign.

President Asif Ali Zardari commended the security forces in a Presidency statement, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was determined to eliminate terrorism carried out with foreign support, according to state-owned Radio Pakistan. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies assessed that terrorist attacks in Balochistan rose seven per cent in August, from 83 to 89.