ISLAMABAD — Pakistani military forces engaged with insurgents in two distinct operations just hours apart, targeting militant strongholds in different areas of the country. These confrontations resulted in the deaths of twelve militants and left six others wounded, as reported by the military on Wednesday.

The initial operation took place in Kech, located in the turbulent southwestern province of Balochistan, where four insurgents were killed. This assault followed closely on the heels of a devastating suicide bombing that occurred at a train station in the provincial capital, Quetta, resulting in the deaths of at least 26 individuals, including both soldiers and railway personnel. Approximately 62 others sustained injuries, many of them in critical condition.

The attack on the train station was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which stated that the bomber specifically targeted military personnel present at the location. The BLA has been involved in a longstanding insurgency aimed at achieving independence for Balochistan and has been a significant challenge for the Pakistani government, which has committed to dismantling the group’s activities.

In a separate military operation early on Wednesday, troops conducted a raid on a hideout belonging to the Pakistani Taliban in North Waziristan. This operation led to the deaths of eight militants, with six additional individuals reported injured. The militants killed in this encounter were affiliated with the banned Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have established close ties with the Afghan Taliban following their return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, during the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces after two decades of conflict.