• Death toll rises to 102 as multiple ground and aerial operations under way since July 5
• Separate IBO near N-25 crossing leaves two terrorists dead
• Four bodies recovered from Sibi district
QUETTA: Security forces killed 14 more terrorists on Saturday as the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and Balochistan Police continued Operation Shaban following the terrorist attack on the Mangi dam police station, security sources said.
They said multiple ground and aerial operations against Fitna al Khawarij were continuing in the area. Since July 5, security forces have killed a total of 102 terrorists in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations, the sources added.
Security forces also killed two terrorists linked to Fitna al Hindustan during an intelligence-based operation near the N-25 crossing in the province, Radio Pakistan reported.
Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while Fitna al Hindustan is a term used by the state for terrorist organisations in Balochistan.
Security sources said personnel recovered weapons, hand grenades, a motorcycle, mobile phones, flags of a banned outfit and other equipment from the two men.
Meanwhile, four bodies were recovered from the Kot Barozai area of Sibi district on Saturday, police officials said.
They said unidentified armed men had shot them dead and dumped their bodies in an abandoned area. Police took the bullet-riddled bodies into custody and shifted them to a hospital for legal formalities and identification.
Three of the victims were identified at the hospital as Gulzar Khan, Abdul Waheed and Asadullah, while efforts were under way to ascertain the identity of the fourth victim.
Officials said the motive remained unknown and further investigations were in progress.
Operation Shaban
The kinetic actions in the province are being carried out under Operation Shaban, a high-intensity counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaign launched by Pakistan’s security forces following multiple high-casualty and high-profile terrorist attacks in Balochistan.
State-run Pakistan Television said on social media platform X that Operation Shaban was continuing across Balochistan as the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and police intensified coordinated air and ground operations against terrorist hideouts.
“Security sources say the operation will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” it added.
Security sources said on Friday that security forces, including the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and police, had been conducting a joint operation in Quetta district’s 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 taken away 18 other policemen at gunpoint. Later, they killed the abducted police personnel, whose bodies were found in the Zarghoon Gar mountainous area.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a statement, paid tribute to the army, Balochistan FC and police for eliminating nine more terrorists in Operation Shaban.
Commending their “unwavering resolve and bravery”, Mr Naqvi said the forces had thwarted the enemy’s nefarious designs.
“The sacrifices and successes of the forces for the sake of peace in Balochistan are a golden chapter in history. Terrorists are a burden on the country and the nation,” he was quoted as saying.
The minister asserted that enemies of peace “will not find a place to hide anywhere”.
Meanwhile, Adviser to the Balochistan Chief Minister on Information and Political Affairs Shahid Rind said that, on the directions of Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, orders had been issued for payment of Rs11.1m to the families of those martyred in the Mangi dam attack.
On the special instructions of the chief minister, he said, all administrative and financial procedures for disbursement of the compensation had been completed on a fast-track basis.
He said the Balochistan government would support the families of the martyrs, ensure their welfare and bear all educational expenses of the martyrs’ children.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that the country’s civil and military leadership had taken a “mutual and singular decision” to end terrorism after multiple major terrorist incidents in Balochistan.
He made the remarks at a meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan in Quetta, with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir also present.
Chairing the meeting, PM Shehbaz said, “One thing is decided: it is a mutual and singular decision of the civil and military leadership that we must end terrorism collectively.”
In the terrorist attacks and subsequent operations since July 5, at least 42 people — four civilians, 27 policemen and 11 security personnel — have lost their lives, according to the military’s spokesperson.
Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026