At least 216 militants killed in Pakistan’s Balochistan
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At least 216 militants have been killed in all in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and the security operation launched against them has ended, Pakistan’s military says.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, was brought to a virtual standstill on Saturday when the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) stormed schools, banks, markets and security installations across the region in one of their largest operations ever.
The military said 22 security personnel and 36 civilians were killed in the attacks.
The BLA’s co-ordinated strikes in over a dozen locations began after the military launched its “intelligence driven” Radd Al-Fitna 1 (countering chaos) operation, which the army said began on January 29.
“Through meticulous planning, actionable intelligence, and seamless joint execution Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies with support of intelligence agencies under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1 responded with precision and resolve,” the military said in a statement, adding that 216 militants had been killed in all of Balochistan since the operation began.
Security officials and witnesses said the insurgents seized government buildings and police stations in several locations, including taking over the desert town of Nushki for three days before they were pushed out.
Helicopters and drones were deployed to Nushki to end the siege, security officials said. Mineral-rich Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to Beijing’s investment in the Gwadar deepwater port and other projects.
It has grappled with a decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of its natural resources.
The mineral-rich province borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to Chinese investment in the Gwadar deepwater port and other projects.
Pakistan has blamed India for the attacks, without furnishing evidence for charges that could escalate tensions between the neighbours, who fought their worst armed conflict in decades in May.
India’s foreign ministry has rejected the charges, saying Pakistan should instead tackle the “long-standing demands of its people in the region”.
with AP
Reuters