Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Wednesday said 54 “India-backed” terrorists were killed, while 42 troops and civilians embraced martyrdom while defending the motherland during three major terrorist incidents in Balochistan over the past four days.
In a video statement, the military spokesman said the first incident took place on the night between July 4 and 5 in Hanna Urak, where militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij—the state’s term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan—attacked the local population.
“Local residents fought back very valiantly and forced those terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al-Khawarij to flee,” he said, adding four civilians were martyred and six others injured during the attack.
The second incident, per the ISPR DG, occurred on July 6 at a police checkpoint near the Mangi Dam pumping station. He said “India-backed” terrorists attacked the checkpoint, but police personnel fought them bravely, killing 15 of them during the initial engagement.
The initial assault resulted in nine police personnel embracing martyrdom, said Chaudhry, adding the terrorists took several personnel hostage before security forces reached the area. “The terrorists left the bodies of 15 militants at the scene,” he said, adding all the hostage police personnel were natives of Balochistan.
The military spokesperson said security forces had carefully tightened the cordon around the militants because “our children were being held hostage.” He said that security forces remained engaged with the militants in the mountains of Ziarat from July 6, adding after the terrorists realized the cordon had tightened, “these cowards martyred 18 police personnel.”
Chaudhry said 11 more militants were killed during the clearance operation, adding the number could be higher. Overall, he said, Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said 27 police personnel embraced martyrdom in the Mangi checkpoint attack, while 26 militants were in that operation.
The third incident, said the ISPR DG, took place on Wednesday in Bela, where an Army convoy engaged terrorists of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). He said 14 Fitna al-Hindustan—the state’s designation for the BLA—terrorists were killed during the engagement, while one junior commissioned officer and 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom.
According to the military spokesman, security forces also conducted operations in Kharan and Dalbandin on Wednesday, killing six Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in Kharan and eight in Dalbandin. He said in total 42, including 38 security personnel, embraced martyrdom while defending the country in the recent Balochistan attacks, while law enforcement agencies had so far killed 54 India-backed terrorists in operations carried out in response to the recent attacks.
No mercy
The ISPR DG said security forces would continue pursuing every terrorist and all their facilitators. “We will hunt down every terrorist and all their facilitators,” he warned, reiterating that Afghan territory under the control of the Taliban continued to be used to carry out terrorist attacks against Pakistan.
Referring to last month’s attack on the Rangers camp in Karachi, he said three of the four attackers involved in the attack were Afghan nationals. The interim Afghan Taliban government, he said, was providing support and facilitation to the terrorists.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry emphasized that the state had maintained a clear position over the past three years. “The state has made it clear that this is Fitna al Hindustan and has nothing to do with Balochistan or the Baloch people,” he added.
“The state has also made it clear that Fitna al-Khawarij has nothing to do with Islam,” the military spokesperson said. “We will remove illegally residing Afghan nationals from Pakistan … no one in the world can threaten Pakistan,” he added.
The military spokesman concluded his video statement by emphasizing that the people, armed forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan were fighting terrorism every day. “We will succeed because we stand for truth and justice,” he said.