The Kabul Tribune (KT)— Security forces killed five militants and rescued 23 hostages after foiling an attempt to disrupt traffic and abduct people along a highway in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, the military said.
The militants had established a checkpoint on the N-25
highway near Kalat to abduct passengers, extort money and seize vehicles,
according to Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing.
Security forces responded to the militants’ presence and
killed five of them during the operation, ISPR said. Weapons, ammunition and
explosives were also recovered.
Six trucks, three buses and two cars were recovered from the
site, according to the military.
The operation comes amid intensified security operations
against militants across Balochistan under a campaign known as Operation Raddul
Fitna 3.
Security sources said Saturday that 11 militants were also
killed in separate operations in Panjgur and Chagai districts. Five were killed
in the Gowargo area of Panjgur, while six were killed in operations in the
Ameenabad and Siah Chang areas of Chagai, the sources said. Weapons and
ammunition were recovered from the militants, according to the sources.
In a separate incident, 10 laborers were injured when
militants targeted a passenger vehicle with an improvised explosive device on
College Road in Kharan, security sources said. Security forces reached the
scene and took the injured to a hospital.
Balochistan has faced persistent militant violence, with
security forces carrying out repeated intelligence-based operations across the
province.
On Sept. 4, ISPR said 48 militants were killed across
Balochistan during 72 hours of security operations.
Surge in violence
Pakistan has experienced a rise in militant violence since
2021, particularly in Balochistan and neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,
after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.
A report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies
said the two provinces remained Pakistan’s main hotspots for violence during the
second quarter of 2026, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the worst-affected province.
The two provinces accounted for nearly 96% of
violence-related deaths recorded nationwide during the quarter, the report
said. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded more than 61% of the deaths, or 475, while
Balochistan accounted for 34%, or 265.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also recorded the highest number of
violent incidents, with 151, or 57% of the nationwide total. Balochistan
reported 94 incidents, accounting for 35%, according to the report.
