Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said the country’s security forces are “physically handicapped” by the sheer size of Balochistan as they battle a fresh surge in militant violence, after authorities reported killing 177 insurgents in sweeping counter-terror operations across the province.
Addressing the national assembly, Asif described the scale of the challenge facing troops deployed in Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, where coordinated attacks triggered one of the deadliest security crises in recent years. His remarks came after militants launched simultaneous assaults in multiple towns, targeting civilians, homes and security installations.
