QUETTA: Pakistani soldiers killed 20 separatist militants and concluded a 70-hour-long operation in a remote town bordering Iran in the country’s southwest, the Pakistani military and a government official said on Saturday, after a string of attacks rattled the restive Balochistan province this week.
Militants from the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Wednesday simultaneously launched assaults on paramilitary camps in Balochistan’s Naushki and Panjgur districts.
While security forces eliminated all attackers in Naushki on Thursday, the operation in Panjgur was completed on Saturday, after Pakistani troops eliminated all attackers and regained control of the paramilitary camp.
The Pakistani military’s media relations wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said both attacks were “repulsed successfully” by prompt response from troops, while a clearance operation was completed on Saturday.
“In Naushki, nine terrorists were killed. Four security forces personnel including an officer embraced shahadat (martyrdom) during shootout with terrorists while repulsing terrorist attack at Naushki,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“In Panjgur, security forces repulsed the terrorist attack after intense exchange of fire and terrorists fled from area. Four fleeing terrorists were killed at Panjgur while four terrorists were encircled the next day by security forces. All encircled terrorists were killed in today’s operation as they failed to surrender.”
Security personnel stand beside a destroyed security post following overnight attacks by militants on security camps in Naushki district of Pakistan's Balochistan province on February 3, 2022. (AFP)
Five soldiers were killed and six others sustained injuries in the follow-up operations in Panjgur that lasted 72 hours, according to the statement.
Pakistani troops also killed three militants, including two high-value targets, in a follow-up clearance operation in the Kech district.
“Our security forces stand firm and resolutely committed to eliminating the menace of terrorism from our soil no matter what the cost,” the ISPR said.
“Panjgur security clean-up operation has been completed after 70-hour-long battle with BLA Majeed Brigade’s terrorists,” Ziaullah Langove, an adviser to the Balochistan chief minister, told Arab News.
“Seven terrorists, including suicide bombers, were killed and arms and explosives confiscated.”
The BLA also confirmed the assault in Panjgur had been ended after 70 hours.
The group said nine of its fighters attacked the paramilitary camp in Naushki and another seven fought in Panjgur.
A curfew remained in place in Panjgur as security and law enforcement personnel continued hunting down militants over the last three days.
Balochistan, the southwestern Pakistani province which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been marred by an insurgency for the last two decades, fueled by anger that its abundant reserves of natural resources are not relieving citizens from crushing poverty.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has inflamed grievances, with claims the vast influx of investment does not benefit locals. Separatist militants have frequently targeted Chinese interests, and while the economic corridor offers a lucrative gateway for China to the Indian Ocean, the security of its workers has long been a concern.
On Friday, six people, including two paramilitary soldiers, were injured after a bomb attack targeted a Levies check-post in the Chaman district that borders Afghanistan.
