Pakistan’s military said it concluded a week-long security operation in Balochistan on Thursday, reporting that 216 insurgents were killed in targeted offensives across the mineral-rich southwestern province. The campaign was carried out under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1, which the army described as “intelligence-driven” and said began on January 29.
The province was shaken when the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) mounted coordinated strikes on a Saturday, hitting schools, banks, markets and security installations in one of its largest assaults in recent years. The military said 22 security personnel and 36 civilians were killed in those attacks.
Security officials and local witnesses said insurgents briefly overran government buildings and police stations in several districts. In the desert town of Nushki, fighters occupied parts of the town for approximately three days before security forces retook control. Helicopters and drones were deployed to support operations to lift the siege.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, borders Iran and Afghanistan and hosts major Chinese investments, including the Gwadar deepwater port. The region’s abundant natural resources and strategic location have long made it a focus of development projects and an arena for grievance-driven violence.
The Baloch insurgency is decades-old, driven by ethnic Baloch groups demanding greater autonomy and a larger share of local resource revenues. The military described the recent offensive as a coordinated response by security and law enforcement agencies, supported by intelligence services, to suppress the militants and restore order.
Officials did not immediately provide independent verification of the militants’ death toll. The operation and the BLA’s attacks underscore the continuing instability in Balochistan and the challenges facing Islamabad as it seeks to protect infrastructure and civilian life while pursuing economic projects in the region.
