Pakistani security forces have killed almost 200 separatist insurgents in southwestern Balochistan province since a wave of attacks launched over the weekend, taking the overall death toll past 250, a security official said Wednesday.
Fighting has continued between government forces and the militants following the coordinated attacks, with sporadic clashes still taking place in some districts after gunmen stormed banks, jails, police stations and military installations.
Pakistan has been battling a Baloch separatist insurgency for decades, with frequent armed attacks on security forces, foreign nationals and non-local Pakistanis in the mineral-rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
A senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday that "197 terrorists have been killed in the ongoing counter-terrorism operations."
He added that at least 36 civilians and 22 security personnel were killed during the coordinated attacks in restive Balochistan.
The chief minister of Balochistan, Sarfraz Bugti, told a news conference in the provincial capital Quetta on Sunday that all the districts under attack were cleared.
"We are chasing them, we will not let them go so easily," he said.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the province's most active militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement sent to AFP.
The group, which the United States has designated a terrorist organization, said it had targeted military installations, as well as police and civil administration officials in gun attacks and suicide bombings.
The BLA has intensified attacks on Pakistanis from other provinces working in the region in recent years, as well as foreign energy firms.
Last year, the separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board, sparking a deadly two-day siege.
The United Nations on Tuesday called the recent attacks "heinous and cowardly".
"The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks across multiple locations in Balochistan province, Pakistan, on 31st January 2026. This reprehensible act of terrorism resulted in the grievous loss of 48 Pakistani nationals, including 31 civilians. Civilian casualties included five women and three children. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for these terrorist attacks," the Council said in a statement.
Expressing its "deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and the people of Pakistan," the Council wished "a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured."
"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," it said.
Underlining the need to "hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," the Council urged "all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Pakistan in this regard."
"The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed," it added.
