QUETTA: Security forces used drones and helicopters to eject terrorists from Nushki after a three-day battle, police said on Wednesday, as the death toll in the weekend’s violence rose to 58.
Saturday’s wave of coordinated attacks on more than a dozen places by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists saw at least 197 of them killed in security forces’ response. The terrorists stormed schools, banks, markets and security installations across Balochistan in one of their largest operations ever. At least 22 security officials and 36 civilians were martyred.
Police officials gave details of the situation on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.In the desert town of Nushki, home to about 50,000, the insurgents seized control of the police station and other security installations, triggering a three-day standoff.
Police said seven officers were martyred in the fighting before they regained control of the town late on Monday, while operations against the BLA continue elsewhere in the province.“More troops were sent to Nushki,” said one security official. “Helicopters and drones were used against the militants.”
Pakistan’s interior ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.Security officials said the weekend attacks began at 4am on Saturday with suicide blasts in Nushki and the fishing port of Pasni and gun and grenade attacks in 11 more places, including Quetta.
The insurgents seized at least six district administration offices during the siege and had advanced at one point to within 1 km of the chief minister’s office in Quetta, the police officials said.
