23 terrorists killed, 18 soldiers martyred in Balochistan operations

• Cowardly act of terrorism aimed at disrupting peace, says ISPR
• Security forces, LEAs successfully thwarted  evil design of terrorists.
• "Sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve." 
  

As many as 23 terrorists were killed during the conduct of separate operations in Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

The military's media wing said that 18 Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers embraced martyrdom during the Mangocher operation last night, when terrorists had attempted to establish roadblocks in the general area of Mangocher.

At the behest of inimical and hostile forces, the ISPR said, this cowardly act of terrorism was aimed at disrupting the peaceful environment of the province by targeting mainly innocent civilians.

In response, security forces and law enforcement agencies were immediately mobilised, who successfully thwarted the evil design of terrorists and sent 12 terrorists to hell, ensuring the security and protection of the local populace, it said.

"However, during the conduct of operations, eighteen brave sons of [the] soil, having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat."

In a follow-up sanitisation operation in Harnai on Saturday, added the military's media wing, 11 terrorists were gunned down, bringing the total number of killed militants to 23.

The sanitisation operations would continue until perpetrators and facilitators of the heinous and cowardly act are brought to justice, the ISPR said.

The security forces, it said, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability, and progress of Balochistan and such "sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve".

Paying tribute to the 18 security officers who embraced martyrdom during the attack, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate messages, have praised the bravery and resilience of the forces who gallantly fought and against and killed 12 terrorists. 

The president and the premier also condemned the attack saying these elements want to disrupt peace in Balochistan and assured that the security personnel will continue such operations to eliminate and suppress these "anti-state" elements. 

They also prayed for those who got martyred and for patience for their families. 

The incident comes less than a day after separate anti-terrorist operations by the security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

At least 10 terrorists in five operations in different areas of KP, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

The operations are part of a sustained effort as the country witnessed a surge in violent attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan.

The year 2024 turned out to be the deadliest for Pakistan's civil and military security forces in a decade with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks, according to “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” issued by Centre for Security and Strategic Studies.

Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e., 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year, marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, The News reported citing CRSS report.

The overall fatalities recorded the previous year were a record 9-year high and over 66% more than in 2023. On average, nearly seven people lost their lives daily, with November emerging as the deadliest month across all metrics, compared to all other months of the year.

The violence took the heaviest toll on KP which topped in human losses with 1,616 fatalities, followed by Balochistan with 782 fatalities. In 2024, the country suffered 2,546 violence-linked fatalities and 2,267 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws.

This tally of casualties stemmed from 1,166 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, marking a grim year for the country's security landscape.