Pakistani security forces announce elimination of 145 militants after coordinated attacks in Balochistan
Pakistan's security forces killed 145 militants within 40 hours in response to a series of simultaneous attacks that rocked Balochistan province, provincial government chief Sarfaraz Bugti said on Sunday, according to Reuters.
It is one of the most violent waves of violence in recent years and targeted several districts, Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki, where militants attacked security forces, civilians and infrastructure, reports News.ro, citing the international press agency.
“Black Storm”
The banned separatist group Baloch Liberation Army claimed the so-called operation “Hero” (“black storm“).
Governor Bugti specified that the final balance includes militants killed both in the attacks on Friday and Saturday, as well as in the ongoing clean-up operations. In total, 17 law enforcement officers and 31 civilians were also killed.
Pakistan's military accused “Indian-backed militants”, a claim strongly denied by the Foreign Ministry in New Delhi, which described the accusations as baseless and an attempt by Islamabad to evade responsibility for local discontent.
There were riots in Balochistan province. PHOTO video capture YouTubeTRT
Considered Pakistan's largest and poorest province, Balochistan has been plagued by a separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch militants for decades. The authorities placed the hospitals in a state of emergency. The army claims to have prevented the insurgents' attempts to take control of any city or strategic objective.
