Pakistan’s security forces have confirmed that 12 terrorists were killed during a targeted intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Kalat district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced on Friday.
The military’s media wing said the operation was launched on September 2 after intelligence reports pointed to the presence of militants linked to Fitna al-Hindustan, a group Pakistan accuses of receiving backing from India.
ISPR stated that troops located and monitored the militants’ hideout before carrying out a swift and coordinated raid. All 12 India-sponsored terrorists were eliminated in the process, and a stockpile of weapons and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was destroyed at the site.
Sanitisation Efforts Continue in Kalat
Following the raid, security personnel launched sanitisation sweeps across the surrounding area to track down any remaining militants who may still be hiding nearby. ISPR reaffirmed that the armed forces remain committed to an uninterrupted counterterrorism campaign aimed at eliminating foreign-backed militancy from Pakistani soil.
The Kalat operation comes amid an intensified security push in Balochistan, a province that has repeatedly reported clashes tied to India-backed terrorists killed in recent military operations.
Militants Attack Bhag Police Station
In a separate but related incident, Balochistan police thwarted an attempted takeover of the Bhag police station by armed militants. The attackers were also aiming to seize weapons stored inside the facility, but police intervention prevented the raid from succeeding.
Shahid Rind, adviser to the Balochistan Chief Minister, said roughly 40 militants launched a coordinated assault using heavy weaponry, rockets and hand grenades, targeting not just the police station but also a nearby bank and the assistant commissioner’s office.
The clash left two police officers and three civilians injured after militants opened fire during the attack. Despite breaching parts of the compound, the attackers were unable to steal any money from the bank, Rind confirmed.
Authorities also revealed that the Bomb Disposal Unit safely defused an IED that militants had planted inside the bank premises, averting what could have been a far more serious incident.
Rising Militant Violence in Balochistan and KP
The Kalat raid and Bhag attack reflect a broader trend of escalating violence that has gripped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
Data compiled by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) shows that these two provinces remained Pakistan’s primary conflict zones during the second quarter of 2026, with KP recording the highest toll.
Together, KP and Balochistan accounted for nearly 96% of all conflict-related deaths nationwide during the quarter. KP alone reported over 61% of total fatalities, translating to 475 deaths, while Balochistan recorded 265 deaths, or roughly 34% of the total.
In terms of incident frequency, KP again led with 151 recorded attacks, making up 57% of all violent incidents nationwide. Balochistan followed with 94 incidents, accounting for 35%, reinforcing how militant activity remains heavily concentrated in these two provinces.
As security forces continue counterterrorism operations across the region, officials maintain that operations like the one in Kalat are part of a sustained strategy to curb the resurgence of cross-border-sponsored militancy in Pakistan.
