- 18 paramilitary soldiers and 24 attackers killed in Balochistan violence.
- Baloch Liberation Army claims responsibility for the ambush on Frontier Corps.
- Escalating sectarian, ethnic, and separatist violence intensifies in Pakistan’s southwestern region.
At least 18 paramilitary soldiers and 24 attackers were killed in two linked incidents in southwestern Pakistan, officials and local media reported, as violence fuelled by sectarian, ethnic, and separatist tensions continues to escalate in the region.
Pakistan’s military stated on Saturday that armed militants attempted to set up roadblocks overnight in Balochistan, a restive province bordering Iran and Afghanistan. The majority of casualties occurred as security forces dismantled the barricades.
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A police official told AFP that a vehicle carrying unarmed Frontier Corps paramilitaries near Mangochar was ambushed by 70 to 80 armed assailants who had blocked the road. Three paramilitaries sustained serious injuries, while two managed to escape unharmed.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack but reported a slightly lower death toll of 17 paramilitaries.
In follow-up operations on Saturday, at least 11 militants were killed as security forces conducted clearance operations, the military said.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in a statement.
Balochistan, rich in minerals, has been the epicentre of a long-running insurgency by separatist ethnic Baloch groups, along with the presence of several armed factions.
The latest violence follows a series of recent attacks in Pakistan’s border regions. On Tuesday, security forces foiled an attempted attack involving an explosive-laden vehicle targeting a Pakistani security post near the Afghanistan border.
The BLA has carried out multiple high-profile attacks in recent months. In January, an attack claimed by the group left at least six people dead. In November, coordinated BLA operations killed at least 39 people in one of the deadliest incidents in the region.
In August, separatist militants launched a wave of assaults on police stations, railway lines, and highways, triggering retaliatory operations that resulted in the deaths of at least 73 people.
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The escalating violence has also intensified tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, amid a broader surge in militant activity.
Across Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, attacks have spiked in recent months. So far in 2024, the military has reported 383 soldiers and 925 militants killed in border clashes.
