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Pakistani troops killed 145 terrorists in a 40-hour battle as a series of gunfire and bombings in Balochistan left nearly 50 people dead, the provincial minister said on Sunday.
Authorities in the southwestern province are grappling with the worst outbreak in years, as insurgents in the resource-rich province on the border of Iran and Afghanistan step up attacks on security, civilians and infrastructure.
Plainclothes attackers entered hospitals, schools, banks and markets on Saturday before opening fire, Pakistan’s interior minister Talal Chaudhry said.
“Every time the attackers came dressed as civilians and targeted ordinary people working in shops indiscriminately,” he said, adding that the soldiers used civilians as human shields.
The banned separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had launched an operation called Herof, or “dark storm,” targeting security forces across the province.
In Quetta, the provincial capital, the aftermath was seen in burnt-out cars at the police station, bullet-riddled doors and roads sealed off with yellow tape, as security forces stepped up patrols and restricted travel following the attack.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said 17 law enforcement officers and 31 civilians were killed in the attack. Pakistan’s military said 92 soldiers were killed on Saturday, and 41 on Friday.
“We had reports from the intelligence service that this type of operation was being planned, as a result, we started investigating earlier in the day,” said Bugti.
The latest total is the highest number of terrorists killed in such a short period of time since the escalation, Bugti said, without providing comparable figures.
Officials said the attacks began almost simultaneously in the districts of Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki, with armed men opening fire on defense positions including the Frontier Corps headquarters, attempting to detonate bombs and briefly block roads in urban areas. That caused the army, the police and the anti-terrorist team to have a big confrontation.
Outside the destroyed shop, private security guard Jamil Ahmed Mashwani said the attackers attacked in broad daylight. “They hit me in the face and head.”
A coordinated attack across the province
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, has faced a decades-long insurgency led by Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a greater share of its natural resources.
The group claims to have killed 84 members of the security forces in Pakistan and kidnapped 18 others. Reuters could not independently verify the claim. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, said that attacks on women and militants are increasingly targeting civilians, workers and low-income communities.
The military said the security forces have rebuffed the military’s attempts to seize any town or strategic location.
Claims and accusations
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday the attack was carried out by “Indian-sponsored forces.” India, Pakistan’s neighboring rival, rejected that on Sunday, accusing Islamabad of neglecting to focus on its internal problems.
“We completely reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, adding that Islamabad should instead address “the long-standing demands of its people in the region.”
The United States condemned the attack, which the US Deputy Chief of Mission, Natalie Baker, called an act of terrorist violence and said that Washington stood in solidarity with Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army has been designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization.
Pakistan has experienced occasional attacks by Islamist militants elsewhere in the country, including groups linked to the Pakistani Taliban. .
