At least 145 people killed in multiple attacks in southwestern Pakistan

2 days ago 8

Pakistani constabulary and subject forces killed implicit a 100 "Indian-backed terrorists " successful counterterrorism operations crossed the restive southwestern state of Balochistan implicit the past 40 hours, authorities officials said connected Sunday, a time aft coordinated termination and weapon attacks killed 33 people, mostly civilians.

The raids began aboriginal Saturday astatine aggregate locations crossed Balochistan, and near 18 civilians, including 5 women and 3 children, and 15 information unit dead, authorities said.

Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial main minister, told reporters successful Quetta that troops and constabulary officers responded swiftly, sidesplitting 145 members of "Fitna al-Hindustan," a operation the authorities uses for the allegedly Indian-backed outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, oregon BLA. The fig of militants killed implicit the past 2 days was the highest successful decades, helium said.

"The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are successful our custody, and immoderate of them are Afghan nationals," helium said. Bugti claimed that the "Indian-backed terrorists" wanted to instrumentality hostages but failed to marque it to the metropolis center.

He spoke alongside elder authorities authoritative Hamza Shafqat, who often oversees specified operations against insurgents successful the province, and praised the military, constabulary and paramilitary forces for repelling the assaults.

Pakistan Militant Attacks People locomotion past the tract of Saturday's termination bombing, successful Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Arshad Butt / AP

Militant attacks erupted connected Saturday successful a resource-rich portion wherever Pakistan is seeking to pull overseas concern successful mining and minerals. In September 2025, a U.S. metals institution signed a $500 cardinal concern statement with Pakistan, a period aft the U.S. State Department designated BLA and its equipped helping arsenic a overseas violent organization.

Residents described scenes of panic aft a termination bombing killed respective constabulary officers connected Saturday.

"(It) was a precise scary time successful the past of Quetta," said Khan Muhammad, a section resident. "Armed men were roaming openly connected the roads earlier information forces arrived."

Bugti repeatedly accused India and Afghanistan of backing the assailants and said elder leaders of the BLA, which claimed work for the latest attacks successful Balochistan, were operating from Afghan territory. Both Kabul and New Delhi contradict the allegations.

He said connected Sunday Afghanistan's Taliban had pledged nether the 2020 Doha statement not to let Afghan ungraded to beryllium utilized arsenic a basal for attacking different countries, but "unfortunately, the Afghan ungraded was inactive being utilized against Pakistan."

Tensions betwixt Pakistan and Afghanistan person persisted since aboriginal October erstwhile Pakistan carried retired airstrikes connected what it described arsenic Pakistani Taliban hideouts wrong Afghanistan, sidesplitting dozens of alleged insurgents.

Bugti said militants stormed the location of a Baloch laborer successful Gwadar and killed 5 women and 3 children. He condemned the killings. He said the attackers had planned to prehend hostages aft storming authorities offices successful Quetta's high-security portion but were thwarted. "We were alert of their plans, and our forces were prepared," helium said.

The BLA is banned successful Pakistan and has carried retired galore attacks successful caller years, often targeting information forces, Chinese interests and infrastructure projects.

Authorities accidental the radical has operated with enactment from the Pakistani Taliban, known arsenic Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, oregon TTP. The TTP, a abstracted group, is allied with Afghanistan's Taliban, who returned to powerfulness successful August 2021.

Balochistan has agelong faced a separatist insurgency by taste Baloch groups seeking greater autonomy oregon independency from Pakistan's cardinal government. The BLA regularly targets Pakistani information forces and has besides attacked civilians, including Chinese nationals, among the thousands moving connected assorted projects successful the province.

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