Pakistan sends helicopters, drones to end desert standoff; 58 dead

Pakistan's security forces used drones and helicopters to wrest control of a southwestern town from separatist insurgents after a three-day battle, police said on Wednesday, as the death toll in the weekend's violence rose to 58.

Saturday's wave of coordinated attacks by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) brought Pakistan's largest province to a near standstill as security forces exchanged fire with insurgents in more than a dozen places, killing 197 fighters.

Fighters of the BLA, the region's strongest insurgent group, stormed schools, banks, markets and security installations across Balochistan in one of their largest operations ever, killing more than 22 security officials and 36 civilians.

Police officials gave details of the situation on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

In the desert town of Nushki, home to about 50,000, the insurgents seized control of the police station and other security installations, triggering a three-day standoff.

Police said seven officers were killed in the fighting before they regained control of the town late on Monday, while operations against the BLA continue elsewhere in the province.

"More troops were sent to Nushki," said one security official. "Helicopters and drones were used against the (fighters)."

Pakistan's interior ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

LATE NIGHT ATTACKS

Pakistan's largest and poorest province, mineral-rich Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to Beijing's investment in the Gwadar deepwater port and other projects.

It has grappled with a decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of its natural resources.

The BLA, which has urged people of the province to support the movement, said on Tuesday it had killed 280 soldiers during its Operation "Herof", Black Storm, but gave no evidence.

Security officials said the weekend attacks began at 4:00 am on Saturday with blasts in Nushki and the fishing port of Pasni and gun and grenade attacks in 11 more places, including Quetta.

The insurgents seized at least six district administration offices during the siege and had advanced at one point to within 1 km of the provincial chief minister's office in Quetta, the police officials said.