15 Pakistani soldiers, 92 militants killed in security operations in Balochistan

Islamabad: At least 15 Pakistani soldiers and 92 militants were killed in multiple counter-terrorism operations carried out by security forces in restive Balochistan province, the army said on Sunday.

The operations were launched after militants belonging to ethnic Baloch groups carried out attacks at several locations on Saturday, it said in a statement.

The army said the militants attempted to disturb peace by carrying out terrorist activities in and around Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies, remaining on high alert, responded swiftly and successfully foiled the militants’ attempts to disrupt peace, the statement said.

“Our valiant troops engaged the terrorists with precision and after prolonged, intense and daring clearance operations across Balochistan, killed 92 terrorists, including three suicide bombers," it added.

The militants also targeted civilians, killing 18 people, including women, children, the elderly and labourers, the army said.

During the clearance operations and ensuing gun battles, 15 soldiers lost their lives, it said.

Sanitisation operations are continuing in the affected areas and the instigators, perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of these heinous and cowardly acts will be brought to justice, the statement said.

On Saturday, 41 militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in separate security operations in Panjgur and Harnai districts.

“With these successful operations over the last two days, the total number of terrorists killed in the ongoing campaign in Balochistan has reached 133,” the army said.

It added that the counter-terrorism campaign approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan would continue at full pace to eliminate militancy from the country.

The Federal Apex Committee is the top-level body tasked with tackling militancy, while the National Action Plan is Pakistan’s comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism.

Violence has surged in Balochistan in recent years, with the number of fatalities in the province rising from 787 to 956 last year, an increase of nearly 22 per cent over the previous year, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said in early January.

According to the Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies, terror attacks and violence across Pakistan rose by 34 per cent in 2025, with 699 terrorist incidents recorded nationwide during the year.