Five terrorists have been killed while three others were injured in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) carried out by security forces in multiple Balochistan districts, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday.

In the latest flare-up of violence, dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks on Sunday midnight across Balochistan, targeting security personnel as well as civilians.

At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives as militants went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles. In response, security forces neutralised 21 militants.

Among those killed were 23 people in Musakhail, mostly labourers from Punjab, who were offloaded from trucks and vans and shot dead after an identity check.

Referring to the deadly attacks earlier this week, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement today: “The security forces are conducting extensive intelligence-based operations (IBOs) to hunt down the perpetrators of these heinous acts.

“On night [of] 29/30 August, in three separate IBOs in District Kech, Panjgur, and Zhob, five terrorists were sent to hell by the security forces, while three terrorists got injured during the intense fire exchange,” the ISPR said.

It added that the sanitisation operations would “continue until all perpetrators, facilitators, and abetters of these atrocious acts are brought to justice”.

“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability, and progress of Balochistan,” the military asserted.

Following the spate of attacks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday asserted that there was “no room for any weakness”. Similarly, President Asif Ali Zardari ordered effective measures to ensure the “complete elimination” of terrorism.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed his full support for the Balochistan government in combating terrorism when he visited the province on Tuesday. PM Shehbaz also undertook a one-day trip to the region to assess the security situation there.

12 TTP terrorists eliminated in KP’s Khyber district

Later in the day, the ISPR said that security forces were conducting extensive IBOs in the Tirah valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district based on the reported presence of militants from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit since August 20.

It said security forces “effectively engaged” TTP locations on Wednesday and Thursday, sending 12 terrorists “to hell”.

The ISPR said the operations had resulted in a “major setback” for the TTP and its affiliates with 37 terrorists so far “sent to hell” while 14 militants suffered serious injuries.

“The IBOs will continue till peace in the area is restored” and the TTP eliminated, the ISPR said, adding that security forces were “determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country”.

President Asif Ali Zardari lauded the security forces for the successful IBOs.

Rise in terror attacks

On August 19, three terrorists responsible for the killing of Panjgur’s deputy commissioner were eliminated in an operation by security forces in Mastung.

Separately, three soldiers were martyred and five terrorists were killed the same day after security forces foiled an infiltration attempt at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district.

In “extensive” IBOs conducted since August 20 in KP’s Khyber, security forces had neutralised 25 terrorists and injured 11 others.

The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and KP.

Attacks escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target security forces.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.

Islamabad has blamed Kabul for allowing the TTP — a separate group but aligned with the Afghan Taliban — to use Afghan soil for launching attacks inside Pakistan. However, the Taliban administration has denied the charges.