Pakistan Announces 114 Militant Fatalities in Balochistan Operations Since July 5

Islamabad – Pakistani security forces have killed 114 militants in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan since July 5, according to state media, as part of a joint operation by the army, paramilitary units and police.

The operation, named ‘Operation Shaban,’ was launched following the deaths of 38 security personnel and four civilians in three major militant attacks in Balochistan over a four‑day period last week.

These attacks highlight the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet sparsely populated province that borders Afghanistan and Iran. The region has long been plagued by a separatist insurgency led by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and by the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which have increased their attacks.

The APP reported that, since July 5, security forces have killed a total of 114 ‘kharji’ militants — a term used by the Pakistani military and government to denote TTP and its affiliated groups — in Operation Shaban and related intelligence actions.

The campaign will persist until the final terrorist is eliminated.

State media released a video showing army gunship helicopters patrolling Balochistan’s mountainous terrain and striking targets with firepower.

Islamabad asserts that the BLA and TTP are increasingly using safe havens on the Afghan border to launch attacks, a claim the Taliban administration in Kabul denies. The government also alleges that India supports militant groups operating within Pakistan, a charge that New Delhi refutes.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply deteriorated over the past year, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of failing to curb TTP activities. The escalating tensions have resulted in border closures, armed clashes between security forces, and Pakistani airstrikes on suspected militant hideouts inside Afghanistan.

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