Pakistan: Security forces have killed 13 militants during the ongoing Operation Al-Azm in Balochistan’s Mastung district, while several others were injured in intelligence-based operations targeting militant hideouts, according to security sources.
What Has Operation Al-Azm Achieved So Far?
Security sources said the latest operations were carried out in the Khad Kocha area of Mastung, where forces targeted militants identified by Pakistani authorities as belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan.
According to the sources, the death toll of militants killed during the ongoing operation has risen to 13.
The operation also resulted in the destruction of several militant hideouts, while security forces recovered weapons, ammunition, and materials used to manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Sources added that several militants were injured during the operation.
How Does the Operation Fit Into Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Campaign?
The latest development follows an announcement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) earlier this week that security forces had killed 10 militants and arrested two female suicide bombers during intelligence-based operations in Mastung and Surab.
The ISPR said the operations formed part of a broader campaign to eliminate militant networks and their facilitators in Balochistan through intelligence-based and area sanitization operations.
The ongoing operation also comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan would continue efforts to combat terrorism, alleging that India was involved in sponsoring militant activities inside the country and accusing the Afghan Taliban of failing to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistan has witnessed an increase in militant attacks, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in recent years. Pakistani authorities have linked many cross-border attacks to militant groups operating from Afghan territory, an allegation denied by the Afghan Taliban.