Three Militants Reported Killed in Mastung Operation

QUETTA, September 14, 2026: Security forces killed three suspected militants, including a commander identified as Naqeeb, during an operation in Balochistan's Mastung district, state media reported on Monday, citing security sources.

The sources said a quadcopter was used to target a vehicle associated with the militants and that the vehicle was destroyed. The casualty count and the identification of those killed were attributed to security sources; Novexa has not independently verified those details.

Business Recorder carried the account from PTV News, while Geo News separately reported the operation, also citing security sources. Officials used the designation Fitna al-Hindustan for the militants. That description is the authorities' terminology, not independent evidence of foreign involvement in this particular case.

Naqvi Praises Security Personnel

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi commended the personnel involved and said the action had frustrated the militants' objectives. In a statement reported by Business Recorder, he praised their preparedness and acknowledged the sacrifices of security personnel in counterterrorism operations.

Security sources said operations against militant groups would continue. The statements set out the government's position, but did not provide an independently established assessment of the operation's longer-term effect on violence in the province.

Balochistan Faces Continued Violence

The Mastung report follows other operations in Balochistan. Geo News cited the military's Inter-Services Public Relations as saying that separate actions in Kharan and Washuk on September 6 and 7 had killed at least 11 militants. Those were separate incidents and are not included in the three deaths reported in Mastung.

A September assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies recorded an increase in attacks in Balochistan, from 83 in July to 89 in August. However, the institute also reported that deaths resulting from those attacks fell from 162 to 76 over the same period.

The two measures show why a rise in the number of attacks should not automatically be described as a rise in fatalities. The province continued to face frequent militant violence despite the lower monthly death toll, with authorities maintaining their stated commitment to further security operations.