Pakistan: 145 militants killed after suicide and gun attacks

"Pakistani security forces on Sunday searched for separatists behind a series of coordinated gun and bomb attacks across the southwestern Balochistan province. Troops were sweeping the area a day after multiple assaults were launched on security forces, civilians and infrastructure, according to Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti. About a dozen sites remained sealed off. The series of attacks left at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel dead, he said, adding that at least 145 attackers were killed."

""We had intelligence reports that this kind of operation was being planned, and as a result of those, we started pre-operations a day before," Bugti said. For decades, Pakistan has been battling a Baloch separatist insurgency in the Balochistan province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. The attackers, disguised as civilians, entered hospitals, schools, banks, and markets on Saturday before opening fire, Pakistan's junior Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said."

""In each case, the attackers came in dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops," he said, adding militants had used civilians as human shields. At a news conference in Quetta on Sunday, Bugti said that all the districts under attack were cleared on Sunday. "We are chasing them, we will not let them go so easily," said Bugti. "Our blood is not that cheap. We will chase them until their hideouts.""

Coordinated gun-and-bomb attacks swept southwestern Balochistan, targeting security forces, civilians and infrastructure across multiple districts. The assaults left at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel dead, while authorities reported about 145 attackers killed. Security forces sealed off about a dozen sites and conducted widespread sweeps, pursuing suspected separatists. Intelligence reports prompted pre-operations a day earlier. Attackers disguised as civilians entered hospitals, schools, banks and markets and reportedly used civilians as human shields while opening fire. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility; the BLA is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

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