July 2026 Balochistan attacks
Militant attacks in Balochistan, Pakistan
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From 4 to 8 July 2026, a series of coordinated insurgent assaults by militants targeting Pakistani security forces across multiple districts occurred in the Balochistan province of southwestern Pakistan. The violence, attributed by the Pakistani military to joint attacks by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), resulted in the deaths of 42 people, 38 security personnel and 4 civilians.[1][2][3]
Operation Shaban (5 July 2026–present)
| July 2026 Balochistan attacks | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the insurgency in Balochistan and 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Pakistan |
 Balochistan Liberation Army Pakistani Taliban | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Sarfraz Bugti |
/ Unknown | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Balochistan Liberation Army militants Pakistani Taliban militants | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
27 police killed 11 soldiers killed Multiple security personnel injured |
/ 67 militants killed (during initial attacks)/ 126 killed (during Operation Shaban) | ||||||
|
4 civilians killed 6 civilians injured | |||||||
The violence escalated across three separate areas, notably involving an attack on local villagers, a raid on an infrastructure-guarding police checkpoint in the Ziarat District, and a subsequent highway ambush on a military convoy in the Lasbela District.[3]
Following the initial attacks, the Pakistan Armed Forces conducted the multi-district counter-insurgency operation Operation Shaban, resulting in the deaths of 126 militants, as of 16 July 2026.[4][5][6][7]
Background
Balochistan has faced a prolonged security crisis involving separatist insurgency (the most recent of which began in 2003), militant attacks, and violence targeting security forces and government installations.[8] The province has been affected by armed groups including the BLA and the TTP, which have carried out attacks mainly against state security forces, police units deployed and foreign, namely Chinese, investments in different parts of the region.[3][9][10]
The police post involved in the primary Ziarat District assault was tasked with protecting the construction phase of the multi-billion-rupee Mangi Dam water supply project.[11] This infrastructure pipeline is designed to resolve severe, ongoing water shortages in Quetta, the provincial capital.[11]
Before the attacks, The Sino Group Belt and Road Research Institute Monitoring and Evaluation team issued an early warning on 2 July 2026 of a severe surge in militant attacks, based on observed strikes against logistical routes in June.[12]
The July attacks followed a major escalation in the Balochistan insurgency in late January and early February 2026. On 31 January, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carried out coordinated attacks across multiple locations in the province as part of what it called "Operation Herof 2.0".[13] Pakistani authorities reported that the attacks and subsequent security operations resulted in the deaths of civilians and security personnel, while claiming that more than 200 militants were killed during the ensuing counteroffensive. The attacks were followed by a week-long security operation, after which Pakistani authorities reported that 216 militants had been killed.[14][15]
Timeline of attacks
Hanna Urak Valley assault
The hostilities commenced on 4 July 2026 in the Hanna Urak Valley area near Quetta.[16] Armed militants targeted Pakistani security personnel and local villagers protesting against militant activity, in the rural valley. According to official statements from provincial authorities, the initial valley assault left four civilians dead and six others wounded.[16][17][18]
Mangi Dam checkpoint raid
On the night of 6 July, militants launched an attack on a remote police checkpoint in the Mangi area of Ziarat District.[11] Clashes erupted, during which nine police officers, including two senior station house officers (SHOs), were killed on site along with the ATF In-charge Head Constable Saifullah.[17][18] [19]
Security forces confirmed that 15 of the advancing attackers were also killed during the initial exchange of fire.[16] Before military reinforcements arrived at the remote outpost, retreating insurgents abducted 18 surviving police officers, later executing them.[10]
Lasbela District convoy ambush
On 8 July, an army convoy was ambushed by militants in the Bela–Winder area of Lasbela District along the N-25 National Highway. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the attack resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer and 10 other personnel.[17][20] Security officials stated that the attackers were members of the BLA and that 14 militants were killed during ambush.[3][18]
Aftermath and military response
Operation Shaban
In response to the coordinated attacks, Pakistani security forces launched Operation Shaban on 5 July 2026, a large-scale counterterrorism operation targeting militant hideouts and support networks in several districts of the province.[21] The operation was initiated following the militants attacks and was jointly conducted by the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps Balochistan, Balochistan Police, and intelligence agencies. It involved coordinated ground assaults, intelligence-based operations (IBOs), and aerial missions supported by helicopter gunships in mountainous areas where militants were believed to be operating. According to Pakistani security officials, the operation aimed to dismantle militant infrastructure, prevent further attacks, and restore security across affected areas.[22][23]
Following the initial Ziarat raid, local residents organized demonstrations and blocked traffic along a national highway near the Mangi Dam site to protest security vulnerabilities.[11] The highway protest and sit-in at Ziarat Cross was called off late on 7 July after Balochistan chief minister Sarfraz Bugti negotiated with local residents and families of the slain officers.[19]
Timeline of the Operation
On 8 July, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, held a news conference in Rawalpindi.[3] The military confirmed that during a rescue attempt, all 18 of the abducted police officers from the Ziarat facility were executed by their captors.[10] This brought the total police death toll for that specific engagement to 27.[17]
The military command announced that counter-insurgency operations conducted across the province killed a total of 54 militants over the four-day span.[2] The military spokesperson attributed attacks to a shared leadership and logistical campaign involving the separatist BLA and the TTP.[16][17] Security forces carried out separate counter-insurgency operations across the province, killing six militants in the Kharan District and eight additional militants in the Dalbandin area.[18]
On 9 July, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan in Quetta, which was attended by Field Marshal Asim Munir, Balochistan governor Jaffar Khan Mandokhail, and Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. During the meeting, Sharif declared that the civil and military leadership had taken a "mutual and singular decision" to collectively eradicate terrorism using all available resources.[24][25]
On 10 July, Pakistani security forces reported killing a total of 75 militants in Balochistan using air support and helicopter missions. They also repelled another attack on a police station in Khuzdar District.[5][26] According to a Dawn News report, the Pakistani military launched "Operation Shaban" which has killed at least 67 terrorists.[4][27]
On 12 July, PTV News reported that the total number of terrorists killed had reached 105, during Operation Shahban and other intelligence-based operations carried out since 5 July in Balochistan.[27]
On 13 July, security sources reported that eight more militants were killed during the ongoing Operation Shaban, raising the number of militants killed in the operation to 79. They also stated that a total of 117 militants had been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations conducted across Balochistan since 5 July.[28][29]
On 14 July, security forces killed four militants, raising the operation's death toll to 79 militants, while the overall number of militants killed reached 121.[30]
On 16 July, security forces reported killing three more militants in the Shaban area of Harnai District, bringing the reported number killed to 126 during the ongoing Operation Shaban.[7][31]
Reactions
Pakistan: Federal interior minister Mohsin Naqvi issued a statement condemning the ambush, declaring that the fallen law enforcement officers were "the pride of our nation."[11] Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed India for facilitating the attacks by providing monetary and material support.[32] He later travelled to Quetta, vowing to continue the military operations.[20][24]
Qatar: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement condemning the armed attacks targeting the military and police personnel in Balochistan. It reiterated Qatar's "unwavering position of rejecting violence, terrorism, and criminal acts", extending condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government and people of Pakistan.[33]
Egypt: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the armed attacks in Balochistan, extending condolences to the government of Pakistan and to the families of the victims. It also emphasised full support in the government's efforts to maintain national security.[34]
Iran: Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei strongly condemned the attacks and expressed condolences to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of Pakistan. He reiterated Iran's long-standing opposition to terrorism and violent extremism in all forms.[35]
Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks, expressed condolences to the families of those killed and affirmed its solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan against "all terrorist and extremist acts."[36]
United Arab Emirates: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) condemned "in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks that targeted several cities in Pakistan's Balochistan province". The MoFA "affirmed the UAE's strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism".[37]
