By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed 41 militants in two separate operations in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, the military said on Friday, amid a surge in militant violence that has plagued the region bordering Afghanistan.
The operations, conducted on Thursday in Harnai and Panjgur districts, targeted groups the military described as “Fitna-al-Khawarij” – a term used by Pakistani authorities for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – and “Fitna-al-Hindustan”, a designation for Baloch insurgent outfits that Islamabad alleges are sponsored by India to destabilise the country.
In the first raid on the outskirts of Harnai district, troops engaged a militant hideout after reports of TTP presence in the area, according to a statement from the military’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) wing. “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the hideout, and after an intense fire exchange, 30 India-sponsored khawarij were sent to hell,” the ISPR statement said. Security forces recovered and destroyed a large cache of ammunition and explosives from the site.
In a separate operation in Panjgur district, forces raided another hideout, killing 11 militants linked to Baloch separatist groups, the ISPR said. Weapons, ammunition and cash looted during a bank robbery in Panjgur on Dec. 15, 2025, were found in the militants’ possession, according to the military. The ISPR said the slain militants had been involved in numerous terrorist activities in the past. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other India-sponsored terrorists found in the area.”
The raids come as part of a broader counter-terrorism drive under the banner of “Azm-i-Istehkam”, a vision approved by Pakistan’s federal apex committee on the National Action Plan, aimed at eradicating foreign-sponsored militancy, the ISPR added. “Relentless counter-terrorism campaign… by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”
Thursday’s actions follow a series of recent clashes in Balochistan. Nearly two weeks earlier, on Jan. 15, security forces killed 12 militants in multiple engagements in Kharan district after the group attempted attacks on a police station and two banks, looting Rs3.4 million, according to an earlier ISPR statement.
On Jan. 19, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Quetta killed five suspected members of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army during a raid in Mastung district’s Dasht area, foiling plans to block the Quetta-Sibi highway and carry out subversive acts, a CTD spokesperson said at the time.
Pakistan has long grappled with militant violence, particularly in provinces bordering Afghanistan, where cross-border incidents have risen since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
A report by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies showed a sharp escalation in 2025, with terrorist attacks increasing by 34% and related fatalities rising by 21% compared to the previous year, despite record militant deaths in counter-operations.
In a Jan. 6 news conference, ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry detailed the scale of the challenge, saying law enforcement agencies conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations nationwide in 2025. Of these, 14,658 were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 58,778 in Balochistan, and 1,739 in other areas, he said. Chaudhry reported 5,397 terrorism incidents across the country last year, including 3,811 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,557 in Balochistan, and 29 elsewhere. Security forces killed 2,597 militants in those operations, he added, noting that civilians and soft targets were deliberately hit in 10 major attacks, all involving Afghan militants.
Balochistan, rich in natural resources but plagued by separatist insurgencies and Islamist militancy, remains a focal point of Pakistan’s security efforts, with Islamabad frequently accusing neighbouring India and Afghanistan of fuelling unrest – claims both countries deny.
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