Pakistan Military Kills 12 Terrorists in Balochistan’s Mastung and Washuk Districts as Part of Counterterrorism Campaign.

Security forces carried out two intelligence‑based operations in Balochistan’s Washuk and Mastung districts on August 5 and August 6. The Inter‑Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that six terrorists were killed in Washuk and an additional six were killed in Mastung, totaling 12 terrorists. The ISPR described the operations as part of its ‘Radul Fitna’ counterterrorism campaign against the group Fitna‑al‑Hindustan, which it says is linked to an Indian proxy. In both districts the forces engaged the terrorists in high‑tempo firefights that destroyed a hideout in Mastung. Earlier this month, ISPR reported that eight terrorists were killed in a separate operation in Nushki district, and that weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices used by the attackers were recovered and destroyed. The ISPR said that under the vision ‘Azm‑i‑Istehkam’ approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan, Pakistani security and law‑enforcement agencies will continue to wage a full‑speed campaign to eliminate foreign‑sponsored terrorism. The report notes that in July, security forces launched Operation Shaban after an assault on a police post that resulted in the kidnapping and killing of 27 police officers. It also cites a recent shooting on a coach that caused three deaths and five injuries. According to a security assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, Balochistan experienced 71 terrorist attacks in May, a 109 percent increase from April, and 54 abductions nationwide, 52 of which occurred in Balochistan alone. The recent operation adds to the series of actions taken by Pakistani forces to counter rising terrorism activity in the province.