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Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that at least 42 people have been killed in a wave of attacks and counter-operations in the southwestern province of Balochistan since Monday, as violence linked to separatist insurgents intensified.
Military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said rebel fighters killed 18 police officers and 11 soldiers in separate attacks, while four civilians also lost their lives.
According to the military, security forces responded with a series of operations that killed 54 suspected militants.
The deadliest incident occurred on Monday when dozens of armed fighters reportedly stormed a police post guarding the Mangi Dam project in Balochistan’s Ziarat district. The attackers abducted 18 police officers and killed nine others during the assault, Chaudhry said.
On Wednesday, militants ambushed a military vehicle travelling along a highway in Balochistan, killing 11 soldiers, he added.
“We will chase you, we will hurt you,” Chaudhry said during a televised press briefing, vowing to pursue those responsible. He also alleged that “many Afghans” were involved in the attacks, without providing evidence.
“We will take on each and every terrorist, their facilitators, those who harbour them, those who nourish them and those who provide them bases, wherever they are located,” he said.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has long been the centre of a separatist insurgency. Armed groups, including the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have frequently targeted security forces, infrastructure projects and foreign investments in the resource-rich region bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups to operate from its territory, allegations that Kabul has consistently denied.
Tensions between the two neighbours have escalated in recent months. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s military said it intercepted four drones allegedly launched from Afghanistan into Balochistan. The incident followed clashes along the border after Pakistani forces said they killed 29 militants in late June.
The Afghan Taliban administration disputed Pakistan’s account, saying the operation killed at least 36 civilians and injured 163 others.
Pakistan has also accused India of supporting the Balochistan Liberation Army, a claim New Delhi rejects.
The latest violence underscores the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan, where separatist attacks have intensified despite ongoing military operations aimed at restoring stability. Source: Al Jazeera
