Security forces killed 21 more militants in Balochistan on July 22 as Operation Shaban entered its 18th day, with joint operations by the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and Balochistan Police killing the militants in three separate intelligence-based operations across the province (Aaj English TV; The Nation).
The July 22 kills bring the cumulative toll from Operation Shaban and concurrent Balochistan IBOs to approximately 155 since the campaign launched on July 5 in the wake of coordinated militant attacks that killed 42 people — including 38 security personnel — across multiple Balochistan districts. The ISPR has maintained throughout that operations will continue until all targeted militant networks are eliminated.
Third week: sustained tempo
Operation Shaban has now entered what security analysts describe as its consolidation phase — the transition from the initial high-tempo clearing operations of the first ten days to the sustained intelligence-driven hunt for dispersed surviving elements. The kill figures have remained in the double digits on most days, suggesting that the targeted networks have not been fully eliminated and that active intelligence collection is continuing to generate actionable leads.
The three operations conducted on July 22 were in separate locations, indicating ongoing multi-front activity across the province rather than a concentrated push in a single area. Security sources have not specified the exact districts of the July 22 operations, consistent with ISPR’s approach of announcing results while maintaining operational security about precise locations.
Monsoon operational friction
Heavy rainfall in northeastern Balochistan — particularly in Kohlu, Sibi, Khuzdar and Dera Bugti — has continued to create logistical friction in the operation’s third week. Rain affects aerial ISR platforms that have guided the IBO targeting cycle, restricts road movement in mountainous terrain and limits the speed of reinsertion after contact. The concurrent NDMA monsoon relief pre-positioning effort in the same districts adds demand on the provincial logistics chain.
Operation Shaban runs in parallel with a separate IBO campaign in Bannu district (KP), where security forces killed 24 militants last week. The two simultaneous counterterrorism campaigns represent Pakistan’s broadest active operational footprint in years.
