Pakistan’s security forces have killed 145 militants over the past 40 hours following coordinated attacks that began on Saturday across the southwestern province of Balochistan, the province’s chief minister said on Sunday, updating an earlier casualty toll.
The military said armed groups launched simultaneous assaults in multiple districts, prompting operations involving the army, police and counterterrorism units.
17 security personnel were killed, and militants targeted civilians in several areas, leaving at least 31 people dead, including women and children.
The attacks hit cities including Quetta, Mastung, Noshki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni. The violence came a day after Pakistan reported killing 41 militants in separate raids. Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and has long faced an ethnic Baloch insurgency.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility. Pakistan's military accused Indian sponsored militants of directing the attacks, saying intelligence suggested ringleaders outside the country were in communication with the assailants.
Hospitals moved to emergency footing as gun battles and explosions were reported. In Quetta, armed men briefly blocked roads before authorities said the area was secured.
In Gwadar, militants attacked a camp housing migrant workers, killing 11 people, including three women and three children. Security forces killed six militants after reaching the scene.
In Noshki, militants abducted the district's top civil administrator. A video circulating online showed him saying he was in militant custody, though its authenticity could not be verified.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks and said security forces had repelled them, while clearance operations continued across several districts. Pakistan maintains foreign actors fuel the unrest, a charge India denies.
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