Did Pakistani Forces Really Kill Over 140 During Balochistan Clashes?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Islamabad, Feb 2 (NationPress) Pakistani security forces have claimed the lives of 145 individuals during a 40-hour military operation initiated in response to a series of what officials termed as “coordinated” gun and bomb assaults throughout Balochistan, according to local media reports citing provincial Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
As per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces have killed 92 individuals identified as “militants” during this operation, while 15 innocent civilians were also tragically lost, as reported by the prominent Pakistani daily The Express Tribune.
Chief Minister Bugti stated that 17 personnel from various law enforcement agencies, including the police and the Frontier Corps, along with one naval official, were killed in the attacks. Overall, at least 31 casualties were reported, with numerous others sustaining injuries.
Authorities in Pakistan’s southwestern province are currently facing one of the most severe escalations of violence experienced in recent years, as insurgents in this resource-rich region bordering Iran and Afghanistan have intensified their assaults on security forces, civilians, and critical infrastructure.
Pakistan’s junior interior minister, Talal Chaudhry, remarked that attackers disguised as ordinary civilians infiltrated hospitals, schools, banks, and markets on Saturday before launching indiscriminate gunfire.
“In each instance, the attackers posed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted innocent individuals working in shops,” Chaudhry stated, adding that militants used civilians as human shields during the assaults.
The separatist group Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attacks, announcing a coordinated offensive dubbed Herof, or “black storm”, aimed at security forces across Balochistan.
The group asserted that over 80 members of Pakistan’s security forces were killed and that 18 personnel were taken hostage.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet economically disadvantaged province, has been enduring a prolonged insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatist factions advocating for greater autonomy and a more equitable distribution of the province’s vast natural resources.