At least 19 militants were killed and 11 security personnel were martyred during an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBOs) against Fitna al-Hindustan fighters along the N-25 highway in Balochistan, reports quoted security sources as saying.
According to reports, the operation was conducted between Jhao Cross and Kararo, an area where militants had been extorting money from passengers and local residents.
Security forces stated that any attempt to hold Balochistan’s peace hostage would be met with a response, adding that both the lives and property of the public, as well as the security of highways, would continue to be protected.
The operation followed an attack a day earlier, when armed assailants targeted a police checkpoint in Balochistan’s Ziarat district, martyring nine police personnel and abducting five others, police said.
Ziarat Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdul Qudoos said that the attackers stormed a police post in the Mangi area of the district late Monday night, setting off a shootout in which nine police personnel lost their lives.
Militant attacks across Pakistan have increased significantly since the Afghan Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan continuing to bear the brunt of the violence.
Pakistan has responded by launching Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which is aimed at targeting terrorist hideouts on the other side of the border. Pakistani officials maintain that the operation has resulted in the deaths of numerous Taliban fighters and allied militants.
Despite several rounds of dialogue, Islamabad and Kabul have so far failed to reach any agreement, with Pakistan continuing to insist that Afghan Taliban authorities have not taken meaningful action against terrorist groups operating against Pakistan from Afghan soil.
