Militant Attacks Kill Police Officer and Trigger Large-Scale Security Operations in Pakistan

In Balochistan, Deputy Superintendent of Police Murid Bugti was abducted and killed by militants identified as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) during an ambush in the Khatke area of Barkhan district. Separately, armed men abducted seven labourers on the highway near Turbat, killing one, and earlier four construction workers were taken from a flood‑relief project in Khuzdar.

Across Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, security forces launched intelligence‑based operations that left at least 44 militants dead and three police officers, including a deputy superintendent, killed. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the clashes occurred at a police checkpoint in Hangu district and that further clearance missions continue in Nushki, Swat and other districts to dismantle militant networks.