QUETTA: Pakistan’s counterterrorism police on Monday said they had killed five militants, who were planning to block the Quetta–Sibi highway and target security forces, in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province.
The operation took place in Mastung district when militants affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were planning to carry out “subversive activities” against security forces and the public, according to a CTD spokesperson.
CTD received credible intelligence that armed BLA militants had taken positions near Mastung’s Dasht area to block the Quetta–Sibi highway and target security forces and civilian traffic. Acting swiftly on the information, CTD teams moved into the area. The militants opened indiscriminate fire upon sighting CTD personnel.
“During the encounter, five unknown terrorists were shot dead, while other accomplices managed to flee, taking advantage of the rugged and mountainous terrain,” the CTD spokesperson said in a statement.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a separatist insurgency and witnessed a series of high-profile militant attacks last year. In March, the BLA hijacked a passenger train and the siege killed at least 60 people, while in May, a suicide bombing in Khuzdar killed several children on a school bus.
The separatists accuse the central government of stealing their resources to fund development in Punjab. The federal government denies the allegations and says it is working for the uplift of local communities in Balochistan, where China has been building a deep-sea port as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
Officials found seven hand grenades, five sub-machine guns with live rounds and three motorcycles from the scene, according to the CTD statement.
“Search and combing operations are underway to apprehend the fleeing terrorists and dismantle the remaining network,” it read.
Police kill five militants, foil plan to block highway in Pakistan’s southwest
https://arab.news/rd98t
Police kill five militants, foil plan to block highway in Pakistan’s southwest
- The militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Mastung district of Balochistan
- Search, combing operations are underway to apprehend accomplices of militants who fled the scene
China condemns Islamabad suicide blast, pledges support for Pakistan
- Suicide blast targeting imambargah in Pakistan’s capital this week killed at least 32, injured 150
- Chinese foreign ministry says Beijing supports Pakistan in safeguarding its national security, people
ISLAMABAD: China’s foreign ministry spokesperson on Sunday condemned the Islamabad suicide bombing this week that killed 32 people and injured several others, expressing support for Pakistan in safeguarding its national security and protecting its people.
Officials confirmed at least 32 people were killed and 150 injured on Friday when a suicide blast targeted the Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque and imambargah in the Tarlai Kallan area located on Islamabad’s outskirts.
The blast occurred during Friday prayers, when mosques around the country are filled with worshippers. A regional Daesh affiliate said one of its members had targeted the mosque by detonating an explosive vest.
“China is deeply shocked by the deadly explosion in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and the heavy casualties it has inflicted,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson’s statement said.
“China strongly condemns the attack, opposes any form of terrorism and firmly supports the Pakistani government in safeguarding national security and stability and protecting the safety of the people.”
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that law enforcement agencies carried out raids in the northwestern cities of Peshawar and Nowshera after the bombing. He said four of the facilitators of the attack were subsequently arrested.
“The main mastermind is related to Daesh, and he is now under our custody,” the minister said. “All the planning and training of this incident had been done by Daesh inside Afghanistan.”
Friday’s mosque blast was the deadliest in Islamabad since a 2008 suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel that killed 63 people and wounded more than 250.
In November 2025, a suicide bomber struck outside a court in the capital, killing 12 people.
Pakistan’s military and civilian government have long accused the Afghan Taliban government of sheltering militants on Afghan soil. Islamabad says these militants launch attacks from sanctuaries in Afghanistan against Pakistan.
Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected these allegations, accusing Islamabad of blaming Kabul for its security failings.
Pakistan also blames India for funding and supporting militants who launch these attacks against it. New Delhi has rejected these allegations from Islamabad.
