The military’s media wing said the operations targeted militants it described as India-sponsored members of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan. It said the operations had dealt a major blow to what it called India-backed Afghan proxies.
According to the ISPR, intelligence agencies identified several militant hideouts in the Shaban area of Quetta district, which were considered a threat to local residents.
Security forces launched an operation in Ziarat and surrounding areas on September 21 based on intelligence information. During Operation Shaban, troops engaged militants and cleared several hideouts, recovering weapons, ammunition and explosives.
The ISPR said 33 terrorists had initially been killed during the operation. It later reported that intensified operations over the following 72 hours resulted in the deaths of 23 more militants, while security forces cleared a large area and reduced the threat to local communities.
In a separate intelligence-based operation in Nushki district on September 25, security forces targeted a militant hideout and killed 11 terrorists, according to the ISPR.
Six more terrorists were reported killed in Mand, with weapons and ammunition recovered during the operation.
The military said clearance operations were continuing in the affected areas until the threat was completely neutralised.
The ISPR also alleged that the Afghan Taliban authorities’ involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan, which it said were backed and sponsored by India, continued to threaten peace and stability.
It said Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign would continue, with security forces and law-enforcement agencies remaining committed to tackling what it described as foreign-sponsored terrorism.
Pakistan has reported an increase in cross-border militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to prevent Afghan territory from being used by militant groups for attacks inside Pakistan.
