According to the sources, security forces inflicted fresh losses on the group referred to by Pakistani authorities as "Fitna al-Hindustan" during an operation in the Khad Kocha area of Mastung, raising the total number of militants killed in the operation to 13.
Security forces also destroyed several militant hideouts during the operation and recovered weapons, ammunition and materials used for manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The sources added that several other militants were injured during the operation.
Earlier operations
Earlier this week, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces had killed 10 militants described by the military as India-backed members of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan, while also arresting two female suicide bombers during intelligence-based operations in Mastung and Surab.
According to the military s media wing, the operations formed part of an ongoing campaign against militant networks and their facilitators across Balochistan.
"In continuation of security forces operations against the terrorist nexus of Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij, comprehensive joint operations are being carried out in different parts of Balochistan to eliminate the remaining terrorists and their facilitators," the ISPR said.
The military added that multiple intelligence-based sanitisation and targeted operations were conducted in Surab and Mastung districts, resulting in the killing of 10 militants.
Government s stance
A day before the ISPR statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said India s involvement in terrorist activities inside Pakistan was "absolutely clear" and urged the nation to unite against terrorism.
The prime minister said more than 90,000 Pakistanis had lost their lives in the country s fight against terrorism and referred to the recent killing of a sessions judge in Mastung.
He also accused the Afghan Taliban administration of failing to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.
According to the prime minister, terrorism had largely been eliminated by 2018 but later resurfaced through what he described as an "organised conspiracy."
Rising security concerns
Pakistan has witnessed an increase in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
In response, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, targeting what it says are militant hideouts across the border. Pakistani authorities claim the operation killed numerous Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants while injuring hundreds more.
Border tensions also escalated in October 2025 after Pakistani officials said the Afghan Taliban and allied militants carried out attacks on border posts. Pakistan reported that more than 200 Taliban fighters and allied militants were killed during the clashes, while 23 Pakistani soldiers lost their lives.
Despite multiple rounds of diplomatic engagement, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban administration have yet to reach an agreement on addressing militant groups operating along the shared border.
