Pakistani army says it killed 50 militants in 4 days

ISLAMABAD

The Pakistani army on Tuesday said it killed at least 50 militants in the past four days during targeted operations near the Afghanistan border in southwestern Balochistan province.

It said three militants were killed on Monday night in the Sambaza area of Zhob district along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Earlier, the Pakistan army media wing said the forces killed 33 militants on Friday and 14 militants on Saturday in the same Zhob district, thwarting an infiltration bid by the militants along the border with Afghanistan.

The security forces remain committed to securing the nation’s frontiers and thwarting attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress in Pakistan, it said.

Attacks on security forces and civilians have increased in Balochistan and the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in recent months, most of them claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of various militant groups, and the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

On Monday, the US State Department designated BLA and its armed wing, the Majeed Brigade, as terrorist organizations, accusing them of carrying out multiple deadly attacks in recent years.

According to the Islamabad-based think tank, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, 82 militant attacks and dozens of security operations took place across the country in July, resulting in 215 fatalities, including 37 security personnel, 124 militants, and 54 civilians. Additionally, 199 people were injured, including 107 civilians, 56 security personnel, and 35 militants.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of failing to prevent militants from carrying out attacks in Pakistan and then seeking refuge in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan denies the charges and reaffirms its commitment to not allowing cross-border militant operations.

Separately, an ammunition depot caught fire on Tuesday morning in the Bardasha area of Nowshera district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to police.

“The fire erupted early in the morning but is now under control,” police said, adding no casualties have been reported.