Rawalpindi, September 4, 2026: Security forces have killed 48 terrorists in a series of “high-tempo” counterterrorism operations across Balochistan over the past three days, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
According to the military’s media wing, the operations were conducted in Mastung, Quetta, Kalat and Sibi districts against groups it described as “Indian proxies”, Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij.
The state uses the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Balochistan-based militant groups are referred to as Fitna-al-Hindustan by Pakistani authorities in reference to alleged Indian support for terrorism and destabilisation.
In an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Mastung district on Friday, security forces detected the movement of terrorists and engaged them, resulting in the killing of six militants, the ISPR said.
A cache of ammunition and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was also recovered and destroyed during the operation, it added.
In another IBO in the Shaban area of Quetta district, security forces identified four alleged terrorist hideouts. An ensuing exchange of fire resulted in the deaths of 26 terrorists, according to the ISPR.
In Kalat district, security forces raided a terrorist hideout, killing two militants in the ensuing exchange of fire, the military said.
Meanwhile, in the Bhag area of Sibi district, security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to attack a local police station, killing two militants, according to the ISPR.
“In the last 48-72 hours, 48 terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij have been neutralised across Balochistan,” the ISPR said.
Earlier on Friday, the ISPR issued a statement regarding an IBO conducted in Kalat district on September 2, in which 12 terrorists were killed. The operation was launched following information about the presence of militants belonging to Fitna-al-Hindustan, according to the military.
President Asif Ali Zardari praised the security forces for their professional capabilities and the successful operations against militants across Balochistan.
“The killing of more than 1,188 terrorists in Balochistan this year alone is evidence of the threats facing Pakistan and the readiness of the security forces,” the president said in a statement.
Zardari reiterated the government’s resolve to eliminate what he described as “foreign-backed and enabled terrorism” from the country.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also commended the security forces for the series of operations, which he said resulted in the killing of 36 terrorists, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
Naqvi said the operations demonstrated the forces’ operational capabilities and commitment to maintaining security, adding that they had thwarted attempts by militants to destabilise the country.
He said security forces were conducting operations in different parts of the country to counter terrorism and prevent attacks against civilians and state institutions.
The interior minister stressed that the fight against terrorism required continued national unity and support for state institutions.
Coordinated attack on Bhag police station foiled
The Balochistan government separately said that law enforcement agencies had foiled a “coordinated” terrorist attack targeting a police station, a bank and the assistant commissioner’s office in Bhag.
Shahid Rind, adviser to the chief minister on political and media affairs, said around 40 terrorists attacked the three locations using heavy weapons, rocket launchers, machine guns, sniper rifles and hand grenades.
According to Rind, the attackers failed to take control of the Bhag police station or seize weapons from the facility.
He said police personnel confronted the attackers for nearly two hours, inflicting casualties and material losses before forcing them to retreat. He added that the police station’s protective wall played an important role in the defensive operation.
The terrorists also failed to loot cash from the bank, while a Bomb Disposal Unit team defused an IED planted at the facility, Rind said.
Two police personnel were injured by gunfire, while three civilians also sustained injuries. Medical treatment was being provided to all the injured, he added.
Rind said residents of Bhag had expressed solidarity with the police and praised their response, adding that the people of Balochistan stood with law enforcement and security forces in the fight against terrorism.
“Bhag police proved that terrorists would not be allowed to challenge the writ of the state,” he said.
Surge in terrorist activity
The latest operations come amid a renewed surge in militant activity in Balochistan.
On the night of August 31-September 1, TTP militants launched a coordinated attack on the Customs House located at Ziarat Cross on the N-50 National Highway in Pishin district.
Security forces responded to the attack and killed 10 terrorists, while two officers were among six personnel martyred during the exchange of fire, according to the ISPR.
On August 31, security forces also killed 11 militants belonging to Fitna-al-Hindustan after they allegedly established an illegal checkpoint in the Nokcha area of Chagai and attempted to extort money from passing vehicles.
Security officials said a convoy of empty vehicles associated with the Reko Diq copper and gold project had also come under attack in the same area while travelling from the project site towards Quetta.
Two more terrorists were reportedly killed during an IBO in Washuk district on the same day.
The security situation remained particularly challenging in Balochistan last month, with terrorist attacks increasing by seven per cent, from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to a monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
