Three terrorists belonging to a proscribed militant outfit were killed during an operation in Mastung district, Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Monday.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

According to a statement by the CTD spokesperson, “All three suspects, who were killed, were linked to Daesh and were planning future acts of terror.”

Daesh refers to the banned militant Islamic State (IS) group, a globally proscribed terrorist organisation.

The CTD conducted an operation during which a “high-value Daesh suspect”, who was involved in the abduction and murder of a minor, was being taken to identify a suspected hideout in the outskirts of Mastung’s Dasht area, the statement said.

“The suspect had been under CTD custody and was involved in a brutal case of kidnapping for ransom, where the abducted minor was killed in captivity after the ransom was not paid,” it added.

“He was also linked with an operational cell of Daesh, involved in fundraising and terror facilitation across the province.”

The statement further said that armed accomplices present inside the hideout opened fire on the CTD team “in an attempt to secure the release of their associate”.

“CTD officials returned fire in self-defence, resulting in a fierce exchange. A shootout ensued [which] resulted in the killing of held suspect by his group’s fire during the chaos,” it added.

“Two armed terrorists were also neutralised on the spot.”

The statement also read that the group was involved in “targeted killings and extortion networks, using child abductions to fund militant operations”.

The CTD recovered “a cache of weapons, explosive materials, communication devices, and extremist literature from the site”, according to the statement.

A first information report was being registered at the CTD Quetta police station, while more raids were also planned for other areas of Dasht and Spilinji “to nab the remaining members of the group”, it concluded.

Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.

On Friday, a Balochistan Constabulary acting deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and a constable were martyred and two others suffered injuries when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle on the National Highway in Mastung.

Faced with increasing attacks by militants, especially in KP and Balochistan, security forces have also intensified counterterrorism operations.

Last week, the CTD Balochistan killed five terrorists during a joint operation conducted with other law enforcement agencies in Duki district.

Security forces killed four terrorists during an operation in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Sunday.