Pakistani security forces, operating alongside military helicopters, have eliminated 75 insurgents during extended operations targeting a banned separatist organization responsible for a string of deadly attacks on military personnel, police officers, and civilians in the troubled Balochistan province, officials announced Friday.
The news came one day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traveled to Quetta, the provincial capital, where he met with the families of 42 people who lost their lives in the attacks. He assured them that their loved ones did not die in vain and pledged that those behind the violence would face justice.
The attacks this week have heightened concerns that separatist factions once viewed as relatively minor threats may be growing in both size and capability.
According to provincial officials, joint operations involving the army, the Frontier Corps, and police were launched late Monday after dozens of fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army, known as the BLA, struck a police post near Mangi Dam — a critical water source serving millions of residents in Quetta and the surrounding region.
The initial assault left nine police officers and 15 attackers dead. During the attack, 18 police officers were taken captive. Their bodies were later discovered in nearby mountains, with the officers found blindfolded and shot to death after apparently attempting to flee.
Pakistan has accused both the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban of maintaining bases in Afghanistan and receiving backing from India. Both Kabul and New Delhi have rejected those claims.
In response to the tragedy, the government approved compensation of 11.1 million rupees — equivalent to approximately $39,000 — for the family of each police officer killed during the attacks.
Balochistan, which is Pakistan’s largest province by land area but its least populated, has endured a long-running separatist insurgency driven by ethnic Baloch groups seeking either greater autonomy or full independence. The region has also been the target of attacks by the TTP, a militant group that is distinct from but aligned with the Afghan Taliban.
