ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed almost 200 separatist insurgents in Balochistan since they launched a wave of attacks over the weekend, a security official said Wednesday, taking the overall death toll past 250.
Fighting has continued between government forces and the militants following the coordinated attacks, with sporadic clashes still taking place in some districts after gunmen stormed banks, jails, police stations and military installations.
A senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Wednesday that “197 terrorists have been killed in the ongoing counter-terrorism operations”.
He added that at least 36 civilians and 22 security personnel were killed during the coordinated attacks in restive Balochistan.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the province’s most active militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement sent to AFP.
The United Nations on Tuesday called the recent attacks “heinous and cowardly”.
A Security Council spokesman said members “expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and the people of Pakistan”, a statement said.—AFP
Reuters adds: Security forces used drones and helicopters to wrest control of a southwestern town from separatist insurgents after a three-day battle, police said on Wednesday, as the number of civilians and security personnel killed in the violence rose to 58.
Fighters of the BLA, the region’s strongest insurgent group, stormed schools, banks, markets and security installations across Balochistan in one of their largest operations ever, killing more than 22 security personnel and 36 civilians.
Police officials gave details of the situation on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
In the desert town of Nushki, home to about 50,000, the insurgents seized control of the police station and other security installations, triggering a three-day standoff.
“On January 31, at around 5:30 in the morning, some miscreants snuck into our homes and took over the property,” said Assistant Commissioner Naushki Maria Shamoon.
“They occupied the Deputy Commissioner Complex, took Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hussain, and his family hostage. They wanted to stop us from serving the people.”
Police said seven officers were killed in the fighting before they regained control of the town late on Monday, while operations against the BLA continued elsewhere in the province.
“Helicopters and drones were used against the militants,” said one security official.
Interior ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The BLA, which has urged people of the province to support the movement, said on Tuesday it had killed 280 soldiers during its Operation “Herof”, or Black Storm, but gave no evidence.
Security officials said the weekend attacks began at 4 a.m. on Saturday with suicide blasts in Nushki and the fishing port of Pasni and gun and grenade attacks in 11 more places, including Quetta.
The insurgents seized at least six district administration offices during the siege, took provincial government officials hostage, and had advanced at one point to within 1 km (0.6 mile) of the provincial chief minister’s office in Quetta, the police officials said.
Ahead of the attack, the BLA made announcements in mosques asking people to support and join them, saying they were waging a war to take over all state offices in the province, the officials said.
Retired Lieutenant General Amir Riaz, who led the military in Balochistan from 2015 to 2017, said the insurgency had evolved over the last decade, adding it would likely continue to alternate between stalemate and periods of heightened violence.
“It has escalated. The response will be decisive, leading to serious capacity degradation of BLA,” he said, denying that the Pakistani military has used excessive force in Balochistan.
“Ultimately, the issues are only resolved through political process and governance.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026