Pakistani security forces killed 145 militants during a 40-hour battle following a coordinated wave of gun and bomb attacks across Balochistan that left nearly 50 people dead, provincial authorities said on Sunday.
The violence marked one of the deadliest escalations in years in the resource-rich southwestern province, where insurgents intensified assaults on civilians, security forces, and infrastructure across multiple districts.
Officials said the fighting followed near-simultaneous attacks that stretched security resources and prompted large-scale counter-operations involving the army, police, and counterterrorism units.
Authorities said attackers disguised as civilians entered hospitals, schools, banks, and markets before opening fire in Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung, and Noshki.
"In each case, the attackers came in dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops," Pakistan’s junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry said.
Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said 17 law enforcement personnel and 31 civilians were killed in the attacks, while the military reported that 92 militants were killed on Saturday and 41 on Friday.
Bugti said intelligence reports had warned of an impending operation, prompting pre-emptive security measures a day earlier.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility, saying it launched a coordinated campaign dubbed Herof, or “black storm,” targeting security forces across the province.
Security officials said militants attempted suicide bombings, attacked installations including a Frontier Corps headquarters, and briefly blocked urban roads, but failed to seize control of any city or strategic site.
The Baloch Liberation Army claimed it killed 84 security personnel and captured 18 others, a claim that could not be independently verified.
Pakistan’s defence minister said two attacks involved female perpetrators and warned that militants were increasingly targeting civilians and low-income communities.
Pakistan’s military accused “Indian-sponsored militants” of carrying out the attacks, an assertion India rejected.
The United States condemned the attacks, calling them acts of terrorist violence and affirming support for Pakistan, as security operations continued across Balochistan.