ISPR Says 41 India-Backed Militants Killed in Balochistan IBOs

News Desk

Rawalpindi: At least 41 militants were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) carried out by security forces in Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday, reiterating the military’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.

In a statement, the military’s media wing said the operations were conducted on January 29 in Harnai and Panjgur districts against militants allegedly backed by India. According to ISPR, those killed belonged to groups referred to as Fitna al-Khwarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.

The first operation was carried out on the outskirts of Harnai district following reports of the presence of Fitna al-Khwarij militants. Security forces engaged a hideout, resulting in a prolonged exchange of fire that left 30 militants dead. A large cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was recovered and destroyed at the site, ISPR added.

In a second intelligence-based operation in Panjgur district, security forces busted another militant hideout and killed 11 militants linked to Fitna al-Hindustan. ISPR said weapons and ammunition were recovered during the operation, along with looted cash from a bank robbery in Panjgur on December 15, 2025. The militants were reportedly involved in multiple terrorist activities in the past.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/president-pm-laud-security-forces-for-crushing-terrorists/

ISPR said sanitisation operations are ongoing in the affected areas to ensure no other militants remain.

“The relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ by Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies will continue at full pace to eliminate the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country,” the statement said.

Pakistan has witnessed an increase in militant violence since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan—both bordering Afghanistan—remaining the most affected provinces.

Earlier this month, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that law enforcement agencies conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations across the country in 2025. Of these, 58,778 were carried out in Balochistan, 14,658 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 1,739 in other parts of the country.

According to the ISPR chief, 5,397 terrorist incidents were reported nationwide last year, including 3,811 in KP and 1,557 in Balochistan. He said 2,597 militants were killed during counterterrorism operations in 2025, adding that civilians and soft targets were deliberately targeted in several major attacks, with Afghan militants involved in all of them.