The Pakistani army announced Wednesday that three attacks by militants in southwestern Balochistan province killed 42 people, including civilians and security personnel, over four days, according to Agence France-Presse.

Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for years, where militants target government forces, foreign investment projects, and infrastructure in this mineral-rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

Military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the victims included four civilians, while the rest were police and army personnel. An earlier official toll announced Tuesday reported nine police officers killed in an attack on a checkpoint at the construction site of a dam project.

The spokesman confirmed that 54 militants were killed in the clashes.

Islamabad sees the escalation of attacks in Pakistan's border regions as originating from Afghanistan, while Afghan authorities consistently deny any involvement.

Pakistan has conducted airstrikes inside Afghan territory in recent months, stating they target militants, but Taliban government officials and the United Nations say these strikes have killed dozens of civilians.