Security sources report 13 militants killed in Balochistan operation

Security forces killed 13 suspected militants during intelligence-based operations in Balochistan, according to security officials quoted by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan.

The officials said several hideouts were destroyed and weapons, ammunition and material used to make improvised explosive devices were recovered. The claims had not been accompanied by a detailed public briefing identifying every location, the duration of the operation or any casualties among security personnel.

Authorities described the action as part of Operation Al-Azm and said it followed a series of militant attacks in the province. Officials use the term Fitna-al-Hindustan for the banned Balochistan Liberation Army and other armed groups operating in Balochistan.

Operations reported around Mastung

Security sources said militants suffered further losses during an operation in the Khad Kocha area of Mastung. They also reported that several others were wounded, although no independent casualty assessment was immediately available.

The operations followed violence in and around Mastung, including an attack on Mangi Dam Police Station. In a separate incident on the national highway, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying judicial officers. A district and sessions judge and his security guard were killed, while an additional sessions judge and another person suffered serious injuries.

Those incidents placed renewed attention on travel security, protection for public officials and the ability of armed groups to operate across roads and sparsely populated districts.

Government says campaign will continue

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the personnel involved in the Khad Kocha action and said security forces were carrying out operations against militant elements across Balochistan as part of a broader national campaign.

Security officials said activity would continue until the groups targeted in the operation were neutralised and peace restored. Such statements describe the government's objective, but they do not establish that the threat has ended. Conditions in Balochistan can vary sharply by district, and early operational figures may be revised as authorities collect information from the field.

No organization response to the official account was included in the initial report. Novexa News has therefore attributed casualty figures and descriptions of recovered material to the authorities that supplied them rather than presenting those claims as independently verified findings.

What the reported recoveries indicate

The reported seizure of firearms, ammunition and bomb-making material suggests the operation targeted logistical sites as well as armed individuals. Destroying such facilities can interrupt planned attacks, but the longer-term effect depends on whether security agencies can identify support networks and prevent groups from relocating equipment.

For communities near the affected areas, further security activity may bring checkpoints, road restrictions or temporary disruption. Officials had not announced a general evacuation or province-wide movement restriction in connection with the operation.

The next authoritative update is expected to clarify whether the operation has concluded, provide a geographic breakdown and identify any arrests. Transparent information about civilian safety and security-force casualties will also be important in assessing the full impact.

The confirmed public record at the time of publication remains limited to the official account: 13 suspected militants reported killed, several hideouts described as destroyed, and weapons and explosive-making material said to have been recovered.

Source attribution: Radio Pakistan and security officials, as reported by The Express Tribune.