Security forces have killed 15 suspected militants during intelligence-led operations across Balochistan, the interior ministry announced Sunday, as authorities ramp up counter-terrorism efforts in Pakistan's resource-rich southwestern province.

The operations come as the military, paramilitary troops and police intensify a joint campaign against militant groups following a series of coordinated attacks last month by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi commended the security personnel for their professionalism in neutralizing the militants, according to a ministry statement. The minister also praised forces for thwarting what he termed the "nefarious designs" of both the BLA and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the latter being primarily active in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least populated province sharing borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has been gripped by a low-level separatist insurgency for decades. However, attacks have grown in frequency and intensity in recent years, with militants increasingly targeting infrastructure projects, security installations and economic assets linked to trade and regional connectivity.

The BLA, which leads the separatist movement, accuses the federal government of denying local communities their rightful share of the province's vast mineral wealth. Islamabad rejects these allegations, pointing instead to multiple development and livelihood schemes initiated for Balochistan's residents.

Pakistan has also alleged that India provides financial backing to the BLA and that Afghanistan offers safe havens for militants to plan attacks on Pakistani soil ; charges that both New Delhi and Kabul have denied.

Published in Balochistan Dispatch, August 10th, 2026