By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed seven militants and recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives during a counterterrorism operation in the southwestern province of Balochistan on Wednesday, the military said. Five soldiers, including an army major, were killed in the exchange of fire.
The Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing, said troops from the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps Balochistan launched the operation in the Nosham area of Barkhan district to target members of Fitna al-Hindustan, a group the Pakistani state describes as an Indian-backed terrorist organization active in Balochistan.
According to the military statement, troops located a group of militants and engaged them in a firefight. Seven members of the group were killed. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the site, the statement said. Sanitization operations were continuing in the surrounding area “to eliminate any other India-sponsored terrorists present,” it added.
The five soldiers killed were identified as Maj. Tauseef Ahmed Bhatti, 31, of Pakpattan district in Punjab province; Naik Fida Hussain, 36, of Sukkur district in Sindh; Sepoy Zakir Hussain, 32, of Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan; Sepoy Suhail Ahmed, 21, of Khanewal district in Punjab; and Sepoy Muhammad Ayaz, 24, of Rahim Yar Khan district in Punjab.
The military described the soldiers as “brave sons of the soil” who “met the ultimate sacrifice.” It said the broader counterterrorism campaign would continue “at full pace” under the framework known as Azm-i-Istehkam, a strategy endorsed by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan to eradicate what it called the “menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism.”
The incident is the latest in a series of security operations in Balochistan this year. In March, at least 15 militants were killed in separate intelligence-based operations in the Harnai and Basima districts. In February, security forces killed 10 militants in Zhob district.
Pakistan has experienced a sharp resurgence in terrorist attacks since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, particularly in the border regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Islamabad has repeatedly pressed the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, especially those linked to the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Pakistani officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.
The Wednesday operation in Barkhan was part of ongoing efforts to counter both Baloch insurgent groups and militants with alleged cross-border ties. The military has described Fitna al-Hindustan as one of several India-backed outfits operating in the province. Pakistan has accused Afghan soil of serving as a haven for anti-Pakistan militants.
In February, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in response to a rise in cross-border incidents. The operation followed a brief ceasefire agreed upon with Afghanistan in October 2025 after clashes triggered by gunfire from Afghan border posts. Despite multiple rounds of diplomatic talks, the two countries have yet to reach a lasting agreement, largely because of Afghan Taliban regime’s reluctance to act against terrorist groups operating from its territory.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
