Pakistani military forces have reportedly initiated a military operation in the Kalat district of Balochistan.
According to reports, the operation began early Monday morning in Naghao, a mountainous area of Kalat district. Sources told The Balochistan Post correspondent that the areas of Maru, Shishar, Islanji, and their surroundings are also under operation.
Regional sources reported frequent flights of gunships and other helicopters, with shelling and explosions heard at several locations.
Pakistani authorities have not yet provided any official information regarding the operation. It is notable that various areas of Balochistan are frequently subjected to military operations, though Pakistani officials often neither confirm nor deny these activities.
There have also been reports of civilians being targeted and cases of enforced disappearances during these operations.
A Pakistani military official recently confirmed to the media that in the first half of this year alone, the Pakistan Army conducted 22,714 operations, during which 111 soldiers and officers were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank tracking militancy in Pakistan, reported that fatalities related to violence surged by 17% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Top security officials stated that the Pakistan Army is conducting 126 operations every day—amounting to five operations every hour. Despite these efforts, they acknowledged that incidents of militant activity continue to occur.