Pakistan’s security forces carried out coordinated raids on two militant hideouts in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, killing 41 insurgents in separate gunfights, the military said on Friday.

According to a military statement, 30 militants were killed during the first operation in Panjgur district, while another 11 died in a second raid in Harnai district. Both operations were conducted on Thursday and no security personnel were reported killed.

The military alleged that the slain militants were backed by neighboring India, though it did not provide evidence to support the claim. It said those killed had been involved in a series of attacks on security forces as well as bank robberies in the region.

The statement said sanitization operations were continuing in both districts to track down and eliminate any remaining militants.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate statements, praised the security forces for what they described as successful counterterrorism operations.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant violence in recent months, which authorities largely attribute to Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The TTP is a separate organization but maintains links with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021.

Balochistan, which shares a long border with Afghanistan, has for decades faced an insurgency led by separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan’s central government. The province has also seen attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, the banned Baloch Liberation Army and other militant groups, including the Islamic State group.

While officials claim the insurgency has been largely brought under control, violence continues to persist across parts of the province.