Wave of Coordinated Militant Attacks Rock Pakistan’s Balochistan, Dozens Killed as Security Forces Launch Massive Counter-Operations
A series of coordinated militant assaults swept across Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan on Saturday, triggering intense counter-operations by security forces and leaving scores dead.
According to security officials quoted by Reuters, at least 67 militants were killed during clashes in multiple cities. The violence also claimed the lives of 10 police and security personnel and 11 civilians.
The attacks followed closely on the heels of an announcement by Pakistan’s military that it had killed 41 militants in separate operations a day earlier in the same province — a region that borders Iran and Afghanistan, and has long been troubled by a separatist insurgency.
Responsibility for Saturday’s coordinated strikes was claimed by the outlawed separatist organization Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
The group said it carried out simultaneous attacks across Balochistan and claimed to have killed 84 Pakistani security personnel — a figure not independently verified.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the violence while commending security forces for their swift response, stating that dozens of militants had been neutralized.
Cities Targeted, Emergency Declared in Hospitals
Security officials said armed groups launched assaults in several urban centers, including the provincial capital Quetta and the strategic port city of Gwadar.
The army, police, and counterterrorism units were deployed in large-scale operations to regain control. Hospitals in several districts were placed on emergency alert to treat the wounded.
Deadly Attack on Migrant Workers’ Camp
In Gwadar, militants stormed a camp housing migrant workers, killing 11 people, according to senior police officer Atta-ur-Rehman. The victims included five men, three women, and three children, with the death toll later revised upward from an earlier estimate of five.
Security forces responded quickly, killing six militants during the operation in Gwadar.
Abduction and Road Blockades
Authorities said the situation turned especially tense in the district of Noshki, where militants reportedly abducted the area’s top civil administrator.
A video circulated on social media showing the official claiming he was in militant custody, though Reuters said it could not independently verify the footage.
Meanwhile, armed groups briefly blocked major roads in parts of Quetta, and an explosion was heard near a high-security zone. Officials later confirmed that the situation had been brought under control.
The latest surge in violence underscores the fragile security situation in Balochistan, where insurgent groups have for years targeted state forces, infrastructure, and civilians in pursuit of separatist demands.
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