• CM Bugti says 75 terrorists killed in joint ops since July 5; 39 killed in ‘Operation Shaban’
• Claims attempt to attack police station in Khuzdar foiled
• NA panel to visit Quetta for security assessment
• Police issue detailed account of how attack on Mangi dam post unfolded
• Deny reports of policemen resigning, regret spread of ‘fake, planted material’

QUETTA: Security forces have killed 39 more terrorists during the last 48 hours in a massive operation launched in the Shaban area of Quetta district, officials said on Friday.

They said security forces, including the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and police, had been conducting a joint operation in the Shaban area since July 5 against terrorists involved in the killing of 27 police personnel during an attack on a police post at Mangi dam pumping station.

The terrorists had martyred nine police personnel, including two station house officers, and took away 18 other policemen at gunpoint. Later, they killed the abducted police personnel, whose bodies were found in the Zarghoon Gar mountainous area.

In a post on X, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that 39 terrorists had been killed during the course of ‘Operation Shaban’, while the number of miscreants killed since July 5 had risen to 75.

Security officials said 26 terrorists belonging to Fitna al Khawarij were eliminated on July 6 and 7, while 13 more terrorists were killed in a heavy gun battle during the last 24 hours in the mountainous area of Shaban.

CM Bugti also revealed that terrorists had attempted to attack a police station in the Zedi area of Khuzdar district on Friday morning, which was also thwarted.

“Army and Frontier Corps troops immediately launched an operation and killed at least eight terrorists,” security officials said, adding that six more terrorists were killed in a helicopter operation in the area.

Parliamentary panel to visit Quetta

Separately, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control decided to hold a special meeting in Quetta to assess the law and order situation in Balochistan.

The decision was taken during the committee’s 28th meeting, chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, at Parliament House.

Security issues dominated the proceedings as members discussed the prevailing law and order situation in Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

While some lawmakers suggested an in-camera security briefing in Islamabad, the committee agreed that a visit to Quetta would provide members with firsthand insight into the situation and enable them to formulate informed recommendations for the government.

Account of Mangi dam attack

Meanwhile, police authorities rejected social media reports claiming that 30 Ziarat policemen had resigned after the Mangi dam attack, terming them fake and fabricated.

A police spokesman said no Ziarat police personnel had submitted resignation from service after the attack and the killing of 27 police personnel.

Newly appointed Ziarat SP Abdul Malik also denied knowledge of any resignations, saying all police personnel posted in Ziarat were performing their duties at their respective places.

Balochistan police authorities also issued a clarification regarding social media reports about the attack on the police post at Mangi dam, saying that although the incident was tragic, police personnel had fought bravely.

They said that after the incident, “planted material” was being spread by enemies of peace and people with different agendas, making it necessary to present the facts in the correct sequence.

According to police authorities, on the morning of July 6, a police contingent of around 35 personnel was deployed at Pumping Station 3 under a DSP. The strength had recently been enhanced after intelligence agencies issued a threat warning. The nearest FC post, manned by around 20 personnel, was about 20 kilometres away.

Police officials said the post reported occasional distant fire at around 11am. They said the post had recently been staffed and equipped, while the officer commanding maintained that its strength was sufficient. Police Headquarters and the FC Wing remained in contact with the post throughout.

As a precaution, police headquarters sent reinforcements, including a specialised force of around 35 personnel, to reinforce the post. The Frontier Corps also diverted an armed helicopter for aerial reconnaissance and support, which remained over the area for around an hour and a half.

They said when reinforcements moved closer, they came under fire and stopped short of the post. The FC also flew vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOLs) and used mortar fire, under which the reinforcements moved forward.

By sunset, terrorists launched a physical attack and closed in on the post. During the ensuing fighting, 15 terrorists were killed, while nine policemen at the post embraced martyrdom and three others were injured. The injured were evacuated after FC and police reinforcements reached the area.

According to police authorities, after the post ran out of ammunition, the remaining personnel, including the DSP and 28 policemen, attempted to move out in two groups under cover of darkness. One group led by the DSP managed to reach safety, while the other group of 18 policemen encountered terrorists during the night and was taken hostage.

They said the area’s geography was extremely difficult, with high mountains, folds and deep crevices, where engagements took place only at close quarters and observation was highly limited.

The movement of FC and police reinforcements was slowed by distant fire and the presence of multiple possible ambush sites.

Police authorities said the FC and army were conducting a comprehensive combing operation in an area spread over more than 300 square kilometres of rugged mountains.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2026