Balochistan Operations: 10 Terrorists Killed, 3 Suspects Held

Pakistan’s security forces have killed 10 suspected militants and detained two alleged female suicide bombers along with a facilitator during operations in Balochistan’s Surab and Mastung districts, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations described the actions as part of continuing counter-terrorism efforts in the province over the past 48 hours.

According to the ISPR, seven suspects were killed in Surab while three others were killed in Mastung. The military said the arrests in Mastung included two women allegedly prepared for suicide attacks and a person accused of facilitating them, making the operation significant because it points to both armed networks and support structures being targeted.

The operations included intelligence-based actions, area searches and targeted raids in parts of Surab and Mastung. Security personnel also recovered weapons, ammunition and explosive material during the sweeps, which officials said were aimed at disrupting militant capacity before further attacks could be carried out.

In its statement, the ISPR said the actions were linked to the state’s campaign against groups it refers to as Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij. The military maintained that sanitisation activity was continuing in the affected areas to identify and eliminate any remaining suspects or facilitators.

The statement also connected the latest operations to the broader Azm-i-Istehkam counter-terrorism framework approved under the National Action Plan. Security officials said the campaign would continue with full force against foreign-sponsored and foreign-supported terrorism across the country.

Balochistan has witnessed a sharp rise in security concerns in recent months, with attacks targeting police, law enforcement personnel, infrastructure and security convoys. The province’s difficult terrain, long borders and scattered population centres have made counter-terror operations complex, especially in districts where militant groups exploit remote routes and local vulnerabilities.

The latest action follows earlier operations launched after a deadly assault on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat earlier this month. That attack led to the kidnapping and killing of police personnel and intensified calls within the civil and military leadership for a stronger response against armed groups operating in the province.

Security assessments have also warned that Balochistan has become one of the most affected regions in Pakistan’s renewed wave of militant violence. Rising attacks and abductions have increased pressure on the government to combine intelligence-led enforcement with measures that protect police stations, public facilities, transport routes and local communities.

For Pakistan, the outcome of the Surab and Mastung operations carries national security importance because violence in Balochistan affects internal stability, investor confidence, regional connectivity and public trust in the state’s ability to secure vulnerable areas. The province is also central to strategic infrastructure and trade routes, making prolonged insecurity a wider policy challenge.

Authorities are expected to continue clearance and follow-up operations in the coming days while investigators examine the recovered weapons and possible links of the detained suspects. The next phase will likely focus on tracking remaining facilitators, strengthening local intelligence and preventing retaliatory attacks as security forces expand pressure on militant networks in Balochistan.