Eight terrorists, including suicide bomber, killed in two separate Balochistan IBOs: ISPR | The Express Tribune

Security forces killed eight terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan in two high-tempo intelligence-based operations in Balochistan’s Kharan and Mastung districts, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces received intelligence about the movement of a group of terrorists in Kharan on June 25. As a result of a “precise and skilful engagement”, three terrorists were killed, while several others were injured.

The federal government last year officially designated all terrorist groups operating in Balochistan as ‘Fitna al Hindustan’, accusing India of sponsoring a proxy war through these outfits.

The ISPR added that, in a separate operation the following day, security forces conducted a pre-emptive intelligence-based operation in Mastung against the possible presence of a suicide bomber.

“During the operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense exchange of fire, five terrorists, including a suicide bomber, were successfully neutralised,” the statement said.

Read: Six terrorists killed in Panjgur IBO: ISPR

According to the ISPR, weapons, ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and motorcycles used by the terrorists were also recovered during the operation.

The military’s media wing said sanitisation operations were underway to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorists present in the area.

“The relentless counterterrorism campaign under the vision of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’, as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, by Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies will continue at full pace to eliminate the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the ISPR said.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces. In separate statements, the president and the prime minister said the successful operations reflected the professionalism, capability and unwavering resolve of Pakistan’s security forces.

They reaffirmed that the entire nation stood firmly alongside the armed forces in the fight against foreign-sponsored terrorism and vowed that the campaign would continue until the complete eradication of the menace.

Earlier this month, a soldier was martyred as security forces killed 14 terrorists in the Naal area of Balochistan’s Khuzdar district in an intelligence-based operation (IBO), thwarting their plan to attack a police station and banks.

Read More: 17 terrorists killed in Balochistan operations after Quetta train attack: ISPR

Terrorism is a growing problem for Pakistan, with the number of attacks rising every year since 2022, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a global monitoring organisation. Data from ACLED shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold to 2,425 in 2025 from 658 in 2022 and over the same period, TTP attacks increased more than sevenfold to 838 from 118.

Although Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has borne the brunt of terrorism, Balochistan has also remained a major target of Indian proxies, which often target civilians and military installations in the province.

In one such attack on the last day of last year, terrorists targeted innocent civilians in Balochistan’s Gwadar and Kharan districts, where 18 people, including women, children, the elderly and labourers, embraced martyrdom.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies immediately responded and successfully thwarted the “evil designs” of the terrorists, killing 92 militants, while 15 security personnel also embraced martyrdom during the operation.