By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Security forces said they killed another 22 militants in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, raising the death toll to 177 in military operations carried out over the past four days.
The militants were killed during an ongoing security sweep across Balochistan province following Saturday’s coordinated attacks at 12 locations in the region, a security official, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu.
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, which has long targeted security forces in the province, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which killed 31 civilians and 17 security personnel.
Security forces launched operations against militants across Balochistan on Friday.
Mobile and internet services remained suspended in the provincial capital Quetta and several other districts, while train services to other parts of the country were also halted for a third consecutive day.
Balochistan’s Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat told reporters that mobile and internet services are expected to be restored on Tuesday.
Pakistan has seen a renewed surge in violence in January, with combat-related deaths rising 43% compared to December last year, according to data released Monday.
A total of 361 people were killed last month, including 242 militants, 73 civilians, and 46 security personnel, according to statistics from the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
At least 135 people were injured, including 71 civilians, 52 security personnel, and 12 militants.
January recorded 87 militant attacks nationwide, a 28% increase from the 68 attacks reported in December. Of these, 38 occurred in mainland Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 in the province’s tribal districts, 27 in Balochistan, and two in Punjab.
Balochistan emerged as the main theater of militant activity and security force operations, although it remained relatively calm for much of the month.
The mineral-rich province - a key route for the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor - has long been a hotspot for militancy, with some Baloch separatist groups fighting for what they describe as the “liberation” of the province.