QUETTA: Security forces in Pakistan have killed 24 militants involved in coordinated attacks in Mach and Kolpur cities of southwestern Balochistan province in the last three days, the military said in a statement on Friday, as the country prepares for the general elections next week.

The militant attacks are presumed to be in retaliation for Pakistan’s missile strikes, which targeted Baloch insurgent hideouts in neighboring Iran on January 18, resulting in nine casualties.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group operating in the restive southwest, threatened to retaliate and later claimed responsibility for the attacks in Mach and Kolpur earlier this week.

“On the night of 29/30 January 2024, terrorists attacked Mach and Kolpur Complexes in Balochistan,” the army’s media wing, ISPR, said in an official statement. “Law Enforcement Agencies deputed on security offered stiff resistance and forced the attackers to repulse. These terrorists were then hunted down in the ensuing sanitisation and clearance operations which have now been concluded after clearing and securing the area.”

The statement added that the firefights during the clearance operations over the last three days resulted in 24 militants being killed, while four members of the law enforcement agencies also lost their lives during these encounters.

“Effective response by Law Enforcement Agencies is a testament of their unrelenting resolve in fight against terrorism,” it said. “Pakistan’s Security Forces stand shoulder to shoulder with other Law Enforcement Agencies to ensure peace & stability in the country.”

Speaking to Arab News, caretaker home minister Zubair Jamal said the security situation was under control in the province.

“After the Mach attack, people were speculating that the elections would be postponed, but the security situation is under control in Balochistan,” he said. “We are increasing the deployment of security forces across the province to maintain law and order for the February 8 polls.”

In recent days, however, over a dozen explosions have disrupted election campaigns in various districts of Balochistan.

According to Abdul Basit, a Singapore-based analyst specializing in Pakistan’s internal security matters, the overall situation has become more turbulent in the province, though elections would be held despite the uptick in attacks.

“In the recent wave of violence, Baloch separatist groups have tried to intimidate and terrorize the local masses in Baloch-dominated areas to prevent people from voting on February 8 that may lead to a low voter turnout,” he said.

Basit maintained the Baloch separatists had attacked Pakistani forces in response to the strikes on their hideouts in Iran, though he noted that much of the violence was also directed against the country’s parliamentary system.

Located adjacent to Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan is a mineral-rich province with the country’s largest natural gas reserves.

The region is also home to a strategic deep-sea port built under the multibillion-dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor project, which is part of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.