Pakistan military says it has killed 92 militants in Balochistan
Pakistan’s military says it killed at least 92 militants on Saturday accused of coordinated deadly attacks in the country’s southwest Balochistan province.
The military said 15 security personnel and 18 civilians were also killed. He accused India of supporting the militants. Delhi has repeatedly denied the accusations.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) rebel group had earlier claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying dozens of soldiers had been killed.
Both parties’ claims have not been independently verified. The escalation marks one of the deadliest days of violence in this poor province, where the Pakistani government has been battling an ethnic insurgency for decades.
In a statement Saturday evening, Pakistan’s military accused the militants of carrying out multiple attacks targeting civilians around the provincial capital Quetta and other towns.
The army said it responded by launching “mining clearance” operations across Balochistan and “succeeded in thwarting the evil designs” of the rebels.
Some key administrative buildings in Quetta and the roads around them were reportedly sealed off during the day. Mobile phone services were saturated and regional train services were suspended as a precaution.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later praised the military, pledging to “continue the war against terrorism until its complete eradication.”
Earlier on Saturday, militants armed with grenades and rifles attacked 12 towns and villages across the province, targeting police and paramilitary installations, as well as prisons and government buildings.
The BLA accuses the federal government of exploiting the rich mineral resources of Pakistan’s largest province without benefiting the local population.
Local activists also accuse Pakistani security forces of being responsible for the enforced disappearances – Islamabad denies the allegations.
Resistance against the Pakistani government and the militant insurgency advocating an independent state for the Baloch people began in 1948, after Pakistan’s independence from the British Indian Empire.
Sharing a volatile border with Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Balochistan also has a vast coastline along the Arabian Sea.
The region gets its name from the Baloch tribe, who have resided there for centuries. The Baloch remain the largest ethnic group, followed by the Pashtuns.
Most of Balochistan lies in southwest Pakistan. The Pakistani province covers almost 44% of the country’s total area, but is home to around 5% of the country’s more than 240 million people. Balochistan is also Pakistan’s province richest in natural resources, particularly gas and minerals.
