• 47 killed while trying to infiltrate from Afghanistan, three neutralised in subsequent operation; PM, president laud forces
• Nine personnel martyred in ambush near Iran border; attack on police station repulsed
• FO welcomes US decision to declare BLA, Majeed Brigade as foreign terrorist groups
• Police vehicles targeted in Sibi, Quetta
QUETTA: Security forces have gunned down 50 terrorists over the past four days, as they foiled an attempt by militants to cross over from Afghanistan into Balochistan’s Zhob district, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement on Tuesday.
In the Sambaza area of Zhob district, 47 terrorists were killed following “successful engagements by security forces” from Aug 7 to 9, it said. In the same area along the Pak-Afghan border, three more “Indian-sponsored” terrorists were killed during a “sanitisation operation” on the night of Aug 10-11, it said, adding that arms and ammunitions were seized from their possession.
The statement referred to these militants as ‘khawarij’, a term used to describe the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban militants. The number of TTP terrorists killed in the four-day operation has risen to fifty,“ the ISPR added.
Nine soldiers martyred
On the other hand, a convoy of security forces was ambushed in the southern Washuk district bordering Iran on Monday night, leading to the martyrdom of nine personnel, including an officer. The ISPR did not issue a statement by the time this report went to print.
Six soldiers were also injured in the gun battle between the militants and the security forces in the Basima area of Washuk. Sources said the militants ambushed the convoy, and three vehicles came under heavy fire. The security personnel returned fire, and the battle continued for an hour.
“An officer and eight other security personnel embraced martyrdom while fighting bravely, and six others sustained injuries,” a senior security official said on the condition of anonymity. He said the injured were shifted to the nearby health facility, adding that casualties also occurred on the other side.
The militants also attempted to attack a police station in Basima recently handed over to the police, but the policemen deployed there repulsed it sucessfully, the official said, adding that the fight continued for half an hour. Three policemen were injured. “Blood marks on the ground and a motorbike confirm casualties on the other side,” he claimed.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday commended the security forces for carrying out a successful operation against terrorists in the Sambaza area near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, APP reported.
The president and prime minister, in their separately issued statements, “appreciated the security forces for killing 50 Indian-sponsored terrorists in the last four days as a testament to their professionalism, bravery, and determination”.
BLA, Majeed Brigade designation
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office welcomed the United States’ decision to designate the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade as foreign terrorist organisations, also adding Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA.
The spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan remained unwavering in its resolve to protect its citizens and eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, besides being committed to cooperating with the international community to overcome this common challenge.
Also, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in an interaction with the media in Hyderabad termed the designation of Majeed Brigade and Balochistan Liberation Army by the US a success. He said it was the endorsement of Pakistan’s viewpoint by the US.
He said these separatist outfits openly supported India during May’s Pak-India conflict, adding the UN should make such a declaration as well so that international financing to these outfits could be curtailed.
Quetta and Sibi attacks
Furthermore, a police officer was injured in a grenade attack in Sibi, while a police vehicle on patrol escaped a bomb blast in the provincial capital.
Officials said that an unknown motorcyclist hurled a grenade at a police vehicle in Sibi on Monday night near the Government Girls College. The grenade exploded close to the police vehicle and injured a police officer, who was on snap-checking duty in the area.
In Quetta, a police vehicle escaped a roadside bomb attack that occurred on Link Badini Road near the Eastern Bypass. The explosion, however, destroyed a car which was passing through the area. The man driving remained unhurt. “The target was a police vehicle…but it passed the area a minute before the blast,” a senior police officer said. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Mohammad Hussain Khan in Hyderabad contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2025