Pakistan says it has killed 145 'Indian-backed terrorists' in Balochistan after deadly attacks

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police and military forces killed over a 100 “Indian-backed terrorists ” in counterterrorism operations across the restive southwestern province of Balochistan over the past 40 hours, government officials said on Sunday, a day after coordinated suicide and gun attacks killed 33 people, mostly civilians.

The raids began early Saturday at multiple locations across Balochistan, and left 18 civilians, including five women and three children, and 15 security personnel dead, authorities said.

Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial chief minister, told reporters in Quetta that troops and police officers responded swiftly, killing 145 members of “ Fitna al-Hindustan,” a phrase the government uses for the allegedly Indian-backed outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA. The number of militants killed over the past two days was the highest in decades, he said.

“The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are in our custody, and some of them are Afghan nationals,” he said. Bugti claimed that the ”Indian-backed terrorists" wanted to take hostages but failed to make it to the city center.

He spoke alongside senior government official Hamza Shafqat, who often oversees such operations against insurgents in the province, and praised the military, police and paramilitary forces for repelling the assaults.

Militant attacks erupted on Saturday in a resource-rich region where Pakistan is seeking to attract foreign investment in mining and minerals. In September 2025, a U.S. metals company signed a $500 million investment agreement with Pakistan, a month after the U.S. State Department designated BLA and its armed wing as a foreign terrorist organization.

Residents described scenes of panic after a suicide bombing killed several police officers on Saturday.

"(It) was a very scary day in the history of Quetta,” said Khan Muhammad, a local resident. “Armed men were roaming openly on the roads before security forces arrived.”

Bugti repeatedly accused India and Afghanistan of backing the assailants and said senior leaders of the BLA, which claimed responsibility for the latest attacks in Balochistan, were operating from Afghan territory. Both Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegations.

He said on Sunday Afghanistan’s Taliban had pledged under the 2020 Doha agreement not to allow Afghan soil to be used as a base for attacking other countries, but “unfortunately, the Afghan soil was still being used against Pakistan.”

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have persisted since early October when Pakistan carried out airstrikes on what it described as Pakistani Taliban hideouts inside Afghanistan, killing dozens of alleged insurgents.

Bugti said militants stormed the home of a Baloch laborer in Gwadar and killed five women and three children. He condemned the killings. He said the attackers had planned to seize hostages after storming government offices in Quetta’s high-security zone but were thwarted. “We were aware of their plans, and our forces were prepared,” he said.

The BLA is banned in Pakistan and has carried out numerous attacks in recent years, often targeting security forces, Chinese interests and infrastructure projects.

Authorities say the group has operated with support from the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP, a separate group, is allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021.

Balochistan has long faced a separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch groups seeking greater autonomy or independence from Pakistan’s central government. The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and has also attacked civilians, including Chinese nationals among the thousands working on various projects in the province.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

A journalist takes photo with his mobile phone to ambulances carrying the bodies of police officers who were killed in a militants attack, outside a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Relatives of police officers who were killed in a militants attack, mourn outside a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

People walk past the site of Saturday's suicide bombing, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Police officers examine the site of Saturday's suicide bombing, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain (AP) — Patrick Reed’s bid for back-to-back titles on the European tour came up just short Sunday when he was beaten in a playoff won by No. 436-ranked Freddy Schott for his first title.

Reed made bogey at the first playoff hole to drop out of a three-man contest also including Calum Hill.

The 24-year-old Schott clinched victory on the second playoff hole after Hill hooked his drive out of bounds, shanked his fourth shot into water and shook hands with his German rival, who was on the green in three shots.

“Extremely happy, surprised. I don't know what's happening right now,” said Schott, who was clearly battling nerves as he attempted to end his title drought five years after turning pro.

Reed was seeking a second straight win, after the Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday, to complete a whirlwind week in which he also announced he was leaving LIV Golf with the aim of returning to the PGA Tour.

Ten shots off the lead heading into the weekend, the American shot 6-under 66 on Saturday and 67 on Sunday to close on 17-under par. He was tied for the lead in the final round after picking up a shot at No. 14 for a third straight birdie, but played the final four holes in 1 over.

Schott (69) bogeyed No. 17 and Hill (71), the leader of the second and third rounds, three-putted for bogey at No. 18 as they joined Reed in a playoff watched by Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at Royal Golf Club.

Reed has said he is playing a full European tour schedule this season and is entered in the Qatar Masters next week. He is trying to earn PGA Tour status as one of the leading 10 players in the Race to Dubai.

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Patrick Reed of the United States reacts after winning the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)