Pakistan’s security forces said it had killed 145 militants in less than two days across the southwestern province of Balochistan, as the country confronts one of the most serious episodes of violence in the region.
“We have managed to kill 145 terrorists in 40 hours,” Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan, told reporters on Sunday. He added that 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were also killed during the violence.
The South Asian nation has seen rising insurgent activity since last year, with deaths from such attacks climbing to 3,967 nationwide — the highest level since 2015 — according to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal. Unrest has been particularly acute in the mineral-rich province of Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan, where Baloch nationalist groups have long demanded a greater share of the region’s resources.
According to a statement by Pakistan’s military, the latest attacks broke out in several districts across the province over the weekend, prompting the armed forces to step in to quell them. The military said the assaults were carried out by “Indian-sponsored militants,” an allegation New Delhi dismissed as “baseless.”
In a post on X, the US Embassy in Islamabad condemned the attacks on security forces and said the Balochistan Liberation Army had claimed responsibility. The US designated the group a terrorist organization in August, as ties between Washington and Islamabad were beginning to warm.
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