Security forces killed 22 more terrorists during the ongoing security sweeps in Balochistan, taking the tally of terrorists killed over the past two days to 177, said security officials.

Terrorists carried out a large-scale coordinated attack in the province on Saturday. The military’s media affairs wing said terrorists of Fitna-al-Hindustan carried out a spate of attacks across Balochistan on Saturday, responding to which the security forces killed more than 150 terrorists.

The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.

The terrorists were killed overnight as security sweeps continued across the province following Saturday’s attack, with security officials adding that the “noose is tightening”.

Mobile internet services remain suspended

Residents of Quetta and other cities in Balochistan continued to face difficulties on Monday as mobile internet services remained suspended for the third day in a row.

Mobile phone data was suspended in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan and other cities on Saturday.

Balochistan’s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat told Dawn that the services would remain suspended today, but were expected to be restored tomorrow.

This is not the first time that the government has suspended internet services in Balochistan for security reasons: in November, it suspended mobile internet services in all 36 districts of the province for about a week.

Attacks on Saturday

During the early morning hours on Saturday, multiple terrorist cells attacked more than 10 cities and towns in Balochistan. The targets were primarily security and government installations.

Suicide bombers, including female attackers, were part of the assault force. Security forces engaged the terrorists in gun battles across the province.

During the skirmishes, 15 security personnel were martyred and 18 civilians lost their lives. As the attacks subsided, security forces launched a series of cordon-and-sweep operations to clear towns, cities, and the countryside of terrorist presence.

Addressing the media on Sunday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti expressed firm resolve to eliminate terrorists. Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that peace has been established in Balochistan after Saturday’s attacks and security forces were now “engaged in a mopping-up operation”.