Pakistan’s Military Says Calm Returns to Balochistan

(MENAFN) Pakistan’s military announced on Thursday that it had eliminated over 200 alleged insurgents during a six-day security crackdown carried out across the country’s southwestern Balochistan region, stating that stability had largely been restored after a wave of lethal assaults last week.

According to the army, the campaign was launched in response to coordinated militant strikes at 12 different sites throughout the province on Saturday, which prompted an extensive counteroffensive by security forces.

Responsibility for the attacks was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, an armed separatist organization that has previously targeted state institutions and infrastructure in the area.

In an official release issued by the military’s media department, authorities said that 216 militants were neutralized during the operation. The statement also noted that 68 additional individuals lost their lives in the ensuing confrontations, among them 22 members of law enforcement agencies.

“Security forces have successfully concluded Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1 in Balochistan under which a series of coordinated, swift, and intelligence-driven operations were conducted against Indian-sponsored terrorist elements seeking to disrupt peace and development by targeting innocent civilians, including women and children,” the statement read.

The military further reported the seizure of “a substantial cache of foreign-origin weapons, ammunition, explosives, and equipment,” underscoring the scale of the operation and the resources allegedly used by the militants.

It added that “Preliminary analysis indicates systematic external facilitation and logistical support to these extremist proxies.”

MENAFN05022026000045017167ID1110700787