ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL — Pakistani security forces killed at least 108 militants in intense clashes over the past 48 hours while thwarting what officials described as a series of coordinated terrorist attacks across Balochistan province, a senior security official told Anadolu Agency on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
The violence erupted early Saturday when militants launched simultaneous assaults on 12 different locations throughout the province, targeting security installations, markets, banks, hospitals, police stations, and other civilian and military sites in cities and districts including the provincial capital Quetta, Noshki, Dalbandin, Pasni, and Gwadar.
“Militants targeted multiple sites, including security force installations in Quetta, Noshki, Dalbandin, Pasni, and Gwadar,” the senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Anadolu. He said Pakistan’s armed forces, Frontier Corps paramilitary units, and Balochistan Police responded swiftly to neutralize the attackers and foil what he called the militants’ “malicious plans.”
According to the official, 41 militants were killed during Saturday’s operations, while another 67 were eliminated in separate security actions across the province on Friday, bringing the total militant death toll to 108 in the past two days.
The attacks claimed the lives of 15 security personnel and 11 civilians. In Quetta, militants carried out a suicide bombing that killed several civilians and injured others. A total of 58 security personnel and civilians were wounded in the province-wide violence.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed the coordinated nature of the assaults in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House on Saturday evening. He praised the security forces for successfully repelling the attacks and vowed that Pakistan’s war on terror would continue “until the last terrorist is eliminated.”
The Pakistani military had not issued an immediate public statement on Saturday’s incidents as of late evening. However, on Friday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reported that at least 41 militants were killed in two separate operations in the Harnai and Panjgur districts of Balochistan.
The latest surge in violence reflects a renewed wave of militant activity in Pakistan’s western and southwestern regions, particularly Balochistan, where separatist groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other insurgent outfits have escalated attacks on security forces, Chinese nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and civilian infrastructure in recent years.
Pakistan has accused neighboring countries and external actors of supporting these groups, while militants have claimed responsibility for numerous ambushes, bombings, and targeted killings aimed at security personnel, government officials, and foreign workers involved in major development projects.
The coordinated attacks come amid heightened regional tensions, including ongoing military operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, as well as cross-border friction with Afghanistan over militant sanctuaries.
Security analysts note that the scale and geographic spread of Saturday’s assaults indicate a high level of planning and coordination among militant networks operating in Balochistan, despite sustained counter-terrorism operations by Pakistani forces.
No group had claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attacks as of late Saturday evening, though the BLA and other Baloch separatist factions have frequently targeted security installations and economic projects in the province.
The renewed violence underscores the persistent security challenges facing Pakistan’s southwestern province, which is rich in natural resources but remains one of the country’s least developed regions due to decades of insurgency, underinvestment, and political marginalization.
Prime Minister Sharif’s statement emphasized national resolve, stating that Pakistan “will continue to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full determination and will not allow any terrorist group to succeed in their nefarious designs.”
As operations continue to clear residual threats and secure affected areas, Pakistani authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to security agencies.
