Six terrorists were killed on Saturday in a clearance operation in Balochistan’s Muslim Bagh town, a day after terrorists attacked a Frontier Constabulary (FC) camp there, while seven — including soldiers — were martyred in the process, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

In a press release, the ISPR said it completed the clearance operation it began a day ago — when it had already killed two terrorists — earlier this morning. “All six terrorists in the compound who were well equipped have been sent to hell,” it stated.

The statement further said, “In the process of clearance operation, seven sons of the soil, including a civilian, have embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while another six individuals, including a woman, have been injured.”

Moreover, a hostage rescue operation was also conducted to save three families from a residential block, the ISPR said. “The terrorists had not even spared children from their horrendous approach,” it added.

“Necessary intelligence follow-up will continue to trace their (terrorists’) linkages, arrest facilitators and expose their sponsors,” the ISPR vowed.

The press release stated: “Security forces, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart all attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the martyrdom of six soldiers of Pakistan Army and one civilian, Radio Pakistan quoted him as saying.

In a statement, he commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for the higher ranks of martyrs. Praying for the early recovery of the injured, the prime minister directed to provide them best possible medical treatment.

Shehbaz Sharif said the armed forces are determined to completely eradicate the menace of terrorism. He said the entire nation stands by the security forces.

A day ago, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo had condemned the attack and had expressed grief over the martyrdom of two soldiers till then.

The same day, in a separate incident, five militants were killed in a heavy exchange of fire with security forces during an operation in the Hoshab area of the Kech district after militants opened fire at a security checkpoint there.

Surge in terrorism

Over the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.

Since the talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down in November last year, the outfit has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in KP and areas bordering Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, experts at a discussion warned that the TTP was forging a nexus with Baloch separatists and local militant groups based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — a development that will likely exacerbate the already precarious security situation in the country.

On April 1, four soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack along the Pak-Iran border in the Jalgai sector of Balochistan’s Kech district.

In March, 11 terrorists were killed in separate intelligence-based operations in North and South Waziristan.

According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think-tank, January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.