QUETTA: Security forces have killed 75 suspected militants in a series of counterterrorism operations across Balochistan since July 5, according to security sources.
The operations carried out under the ongoing Operation Shabban were launched following the militant attack on the Mangi Dam Police Station. The joint operation involves personnel from the Pakistan Army, the Frontier Corps (FC) and Balochistan Police.
Security sources said 26 suspected militants were killed during operations conducted on July 6 and 7, while an additional 13 were killed over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of militants killed during Operation Shabban to 39.
The sources said security forces have tightened their cordon around militant hideouts in rugged mountainous areas, with both ground troops and air assets continuing search and clearance operations.
Separately, security sources said an attack on a police station in the Zehri area of Khuzdar on Friday morning was successfully repelled. They claimed that troops from the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps responded swiftly, killing eight suspected militants during the engagement.
The sources added that five to six more militants are believed to have been killed in helicopter-supported operations, although those figures have not been independently verified.
According to the security sources, a total of 75 suspected militants have been killed in Operation Shabban and other intelligence-based operations conducted across Balochistan since July 5.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the casualty figures, and no official statement had been issued by the military’s media wing at the time of publication. The identities of those killed and the status of any security personnel casualties were also not immediately available.
