By Our Correspondent
RAWALPINDI — Pakistan’s military on Wednesday said security forces and law enforcement agencies had killed 54 militants during operations launched in response to a series of terrorist attacks in Balochistan over the past four days, while 42 people, including security personnel and civilians, were martyred.
Speaking at a press conference, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said the casualties occurred during three major incidents in different parts of the province.
According to the military spokesperson, the first attack took place on the night of July 4-5 in the Hanna Urak area, where militants attacked local residents. He said civilians resisted the assault before security forces responded.
The ISPR said four civilians were martyred and six others injured during the attack.
The second incident occurred on July 6 at a police checkpoint near the Mangi Dam pumping station, where militants attacked police personnel. According to the military, police officers initially repelled the assault, killing 15 militants before the attackers took several personnel hostage.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said security forces later launched an operation in the mountainous area of Ziarat, where the militants were surrounded. He said the attackers killed 18 hostage police personnel before the security operation concluded.
According to the ISPR, 27 police personnel were martyred in the Mangi operation, while 26 militants were killed.
The third major incident occurred on Wednesday in the Bela area, where an army convoy came under attack. The military said security forces killed 14 militants during the engagement, while one junior commissioned officer (JCO) and 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom.
The military also announced separate intelligence-based operations in Kharan and Dalbandin, where six and eight militants, respectively, were killed.
Overall, the ISPR said 42 people, including 38 security personnel and four civilians, lost their lives while 54 militants were killed during the recent operations.
Military vows to continue operations
Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan’s security forces would continue counterterrorism operations across the country.
“We will hunt down every terrorist and all their facilitators,” he said.
The military spokesperson also alleged that militant groups were operating from Afghan territory and accused the Afghan Taliban administration of allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan.
Referring to a recent attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi, he said three of the four alleged attackers were Afghan nationals.
Lt Gen Chaudhry reiterated the government’s position that the militant groups involved in the attacks do not represent the people of Balochistan or Islam, adding that Pakistan would continue efforts to eliminate terrorism and strengthen national security.
