UPDATES WITH NEW DEATH TOLL; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE
By Islamuddin Sajid and Saadet Gokce
ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 15 soldiers, 11 civilians, and 108 militants were killed in clashes as Pakistani security forces thwarted major "coordinated" terrorist attacks in the southwestern province of Balochistan, a Pakistani security official said on Saturday.
Militants carried out coordinated attacks early Saturday at 12 different locations across the province, including the provincial capital Quetta, a senior security official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“Militants targeted multiple sites, including security force installations in Quetta, Noshki, Dalbandin, Pasni, and Gwadar,” the official said.
He added that Pakistan’s armed forces, the Frontier Corps, and Balochistan Police acted swiftly to foil what he described as the militants’ “malicious plans.”
According to officials, 41 militants were killed during Saturday’s operations, while 67 others were killed in separate security actions across the province on Friday, bringing the total to 108 in the past 48 hours.
"The terrorists targeted markets, banks, hospitals, police stations, and security force installations," the security official said.
Eleven civilians have also been killed so far in Quetta, where militants carried out a suicide attack, and other parts of the province, while 58 security personnel and civilians have been injured.
During the clashes, 15 security personnel also lost their lives.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed coordinated attacks at 12 locations in Balochistan on Saturday evening and praised security forces for successfully foiling them.
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister's House, he vowed that the war on terror would not end until the last terrorist was eliminated.
The military has not issued any immediate statement regarding the issue.
On Friday, it said that at least 41 militants were killed in two separate security operations in the Harnai and Panjgur districts of Balochistan.
Pakistan has seen a renewed surge in militant violence in recent years, particularly in its western and southwestern regions.