Security forces killed five militants in the Fateh Ali area of Panjgur district, recovering a large quantity of weapons and ammunition from those killed, security sources said, according to state media.
In a separate intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Dhadar area of Kachhi district, security forces killed two more militants. Several others were also reported to have been injured during the operation.
The federal government last year officially designated militant groups operating in Balochistan as Fitna al-Hindustan, alleging that India was supporting a proxy campaign through the organisations.
The intelligence-driven operations are being carried out under the ongoing Radd-ul-Fitna-3 campaign, which the military’s media wing has described as a counterterrorism operation targeting militant groups it says are backed by India.
The latest development came a day after security forces killed three militants during an IBO in the Badrang area of Awaran district, according to security sources. The operation was conducted under Radd-ul-Fitna-3 against militants affiliated with Fitna al-Hindustan, with weapons and ammunition recovered from those killed.
Terrorism remains a significant security challenge for Pakistan, with the number of attacks increasing annually since 2022, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a global conflict-monitoring organisation. ACLED data shows that reported attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold, from 658 in 2022 to 2,425 in 2025.
While Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has faced the highest number of militant attacks, Balochistan has also remained a major target, with attacks frequently targeting civilians and security installations.
In one such attack on the last day of 2025, militants targeted civilians in Balochistan’s Gwadar and Kharan districts, killing 18 people, including women, children, elderly people and labourers.
Security forces have continued counterterrorism operations across the country against groups the state describes as Indian-sponsored militants and their affiliates. Despite these operations, militant groups have continued to target civilian and security installations.
On August 21, security forces, in coordination with police, killed 49 militants in a series of intelligence-based operations conducted across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over several days.
In Balochistan, 37 militants affiliated with Fitna al-Hindustan were reported killed in 10 IBOs in Mastung, Mach, Khuzdar and Panjgur districts. The operations also led to the recovery and destruction of weapons, explosives and remote-detonation equipment.
