Pakistani security forces have killed 75 insurgents during a series of operations in Balochistan following a deadly militant assault in which 18 abducted police officers were executed, authorities said.
The incident is regarded as one of the deadliest recent attacks against police in the restive province.
According to the Balochistan government, the violence erupted late Monday when dozens of militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launched an attack on a police post near Mangi Dam, a major reservoir that supplies water to Quetta and nearby communities.
Officials said nine police officers and 15 militants were killed during the initial confrontation. The attackers also kidnapped 18 police personnel, whose bodies were later discovered in nearby mountainous terrain. Authorities said the victims had been blindfolded before being shot dead.
In response, Pakistani authorities launched coordinated security operations across the province involving the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and police, with military helicopters providing air support alongside ground forces.
Authorities said 75 insurgents were killed during the operations, although the military’s claims could not be independently verified.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Quetta on Thursday to meet the families of the slain officers and pledged that “those responsible would be brought to justice.”
The government also announced compensation of 11.1 million Pakistani rupees (around $39,000) for the family of each police officer killed.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet least-populated province, has experienced a decades-long separatist insurgency led by ethnic Baloch groups seeking greater autonomy or independence. Armed groups in the region have repeatedly targeted Pakistani security forces as well as Chinese interests operating in the province.
