By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed 15 militants in two separate intelligence-based operations in Balochistan on Saturday, the military said, while a bomb blast in South Waziristan killed two policemen and wounded several others the same day.
In Harnai district, troops killed 12 militants from Fitna al Khawarij, a term authorities used for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. In Basima district, forces killed three militants from Fitna al Hindustan, the designation used for Balochistan-based militant groups. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered after both engagements.
Hours later in South Waziristan, a bomb exploded in Rustam Bazaar in Wana town. The blast killed at least two policemen and injured four others. Eight civilians were also wounded. Deputy Superintendent of Police Asghar Ali Shah said the explosive device had been planted near the gate of a supermarket in the crowded market area.
The Balochistan operations form part of Pakistan’s broader push against what it describes as foreign-sponsored terrorism. The Inter-Services Public Relations said the militants had taken part in multiple terrorist attacks inside the country. Clearance operations continued in both districts.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces. Zardari said the operations showed the military’s capability and determination. Sharif pledged that the campaign against terrorism would continue until the threat is eliminated.
The incidents unfolded as Pakistan carries out Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, a campaign targeting militant networks operating from Afghanistan. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Friday that the operation has killed at least 527 Afghan Taliban fighters and injured more than 755. Pakistani forces have destroyed 237 checkposts, captured 38 and eliminated 205 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring Pakistani Taliban militants. Islamabad has also alleged Indian involvement in supporting militants in Balochistan — charges both Kabul and New Delhi reject. Tensions between the neighbors rose sharply after Pakistani airstrikes on militant camps in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost provinces. Border clashes in October 2025 left more than 200 militants and 23 Pakistani soldiers dead. Militant violence across Pakistan has surged since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The military has said its counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan will continue at full pace under the Azm-i-Istehkam strategy.
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