Officials say calm restored to province day after dozens killed in suicide and gun attacks in at least 10 cities
Pakistan’s security forces have intensified their operations against separatist militants in Balochistan province who launched a large-scale assault on Saturday in which at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed.
A day after the militants carried out suicide attacks in the heart of the province’s capital, Quetta, the chief minister of the south-western region, Sarfraz Bugti, said 145 people he described as militants had been killed in 40 hours and that their bodies were in the custody of the authorities.
The attacks began before dawn on Saturday, when scores of insurgents attacked military installations, police stations and banks, blocked main roads, destroyed railway tracks and carried out suicide attacks in Quetta and the port of Gwadar.
Balochistan’s separatist insurgency is decades old, but it has gained a lethal momentum in recent years with attacks targeting security forces and civilians. Analysts described Saturday’s simultaneous attacks in more than 10 cities as unprecedented.
