Security forces killed ten militants, including a woman, in operations in and around the Balochistan port city of Gwadar after attacks on Thursday, while one civilian was killed during the assaults, the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on Friday.
According to the ISPR, on October 22 militants it described as India-sponsored "Fitna al-Hindustan" attempted to carry out attacks in the general areas of the Gabd border crossing and Gwadar city. The statement said the militants sought to harm the very people they claim to represent and to obstruct Balochistan's development, and that clearance operations were launched in and around the city to protect residents.
In separate exchanges of fire, ten militants were killed, the ISPR said. One civilian died during the attacks and a few vehicles were damaged, but the operations were concluded without any loss to security forces. The military called the use of a Baloch woman in the attack a crime against the state and against the honour of Baloch women, adding that the people of Balochistan have consistently rejected those who shed blood in their name.
Earlier, according to sources, images circulated purportedly showing the bodies of six attackers, including a woman, after clashes at a Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) compound, along with unconfirmed reports that all remaining attackers inside had been killed. The banned BLF had claimed an attack on an FWO camp in Gwadar on Thursday. The images have not been independently authenticated, and the official statement did not refer separately to the FWO compound.
Initial details of Thursday's incidents in Gwadar are available here. The ISPR said the counter-terrorism campaign under Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue at full pace. The statement came hours after Field Marshal Asim Munir vowed to hit terrorists hard during a visit to the Peshawar Corps Headquarters.