New Delhi: The Baloch Liberation Army Saturday launched coordinated attacks at 12 locations in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, leaving at least 10 soldiers dead, while 67 BLA militants were also killed in a counter-offensive by Pakistani security forces.
The violence followed a statement issued earlier in the day by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group designated as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan and the United States, declaring the launch of what it called the second phase of “Operation Herof”.
In messages circulated to local media, the group said the campaign was aimed at “protecting the motherland”, and urged civilians to rise up against Pakistani security forces.
In August 2024, the Baloch Liberation Army launched attacks on the Pakistani military in Balochistan, calling it a direct offensive, and naming it Operation Herof.
During the operation, the group targeted key transportation infrastructure, including sections of the Karachi–Quetta stretch of National Highway 8, and damaged a railway station in Mastung District on the route linked to Iran. At least 14 soldiers and police personnel were killed in the attacks.
Local media reports on the Saturday attack said gunfire and explosions targeted police and military installations at multiple locations, including in Quetta, Nushki, Kalat, Mastung, Dalbandin, Kharan, Gwadar, Pasni, Tump and Buleda.
This scale of violence has not been seen in recent months in the region, though details remained difficult to verify independently amid communication disruptions and ongoing security operations, The Balochistan Post reported.
In a post on X Saturday, provincial Pakistani government official Shahid Rind said security forces had killed more than 70 militants at various locations across Balochistan over the past two days.
He added that, in response, militants attempted fresh attacks at several places in the province, but police and Frontier Corps personnel repelled them through “timely action”.
Provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar said the assaults began nearly simultaneously across multiple districts of Balochistan.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi too in a statement said 10 security officers were killed and praised the forces for killing “37 insurgents”.
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Ground zero
In Quetta, the provincial capital, residents described intense firing and explosions in multiple neighborhoods, including near the heavily guarded Red Zone. On Sariab Road, attackers ambushed a police vehicle, killing two officers and setting the vehicle ablaze, according to police officials.
A separate blast near the Hockey Chowk injured civilians, prompting authorities to temporarily seal parts of the city and suspend activities at courts and government offices.
In Nushki, Kalat and Mastung, residents reported sustained firefights near security installations, including police stations and Frontier Corps facilities. Unverified reports suggested militants briefly entered government buildings and damaged infrastructure before being pushed back.
In coastal districts such as Gwadar and Pasni, clashes were reported near security posts along key transport routes, including sections of the Coastal Highway.
Pakistani authorities said security forces swiftly responded, foiling coordinated attacks at 12 locations.
Pakistan’s State-run Radio Pakistan, citing security sources, said the “security forces’ pursuit and engagement with the terrorists at various locations are still ongoing”.
“Security forces killed 67 terrorists in Balochistan during the ongoing operations. This has taken the total number of killed terrorists in Balochistan in the last two days to 108,” the Radio Pakistan report said.
In a post on X, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said security forces had killed 70 terrorists at various locations across the province during just the past two days.
“In the morning, in an attempt to shore up their declining morale… (they) attempted to carry out attacks at multiple locations, which the courageous police of Balochistan and brave personnel of the FC (Frontier Corps) are jointly thwarting and have killed 37 more terrorists so far,” he wrote.
Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a televised interview that the attack was a “desperate move by terrorists facing defeat”. He said aerial surveillance and ground operations were continuing.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for what they described as a decisive response.
The BLA, meanwhile, in statements attributed to its spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, claimed responsibility for the “simultaneous, coordinated attacks”. The group asserted that its fighters had entered security camps and disrupted military logistics.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has faced decades of insurgency rooted in grievances over political marginalisation, economic neglect and control of natural resources.
Violence has intensified in recent years, with militants frequently targeting security forces, Chinese-linked infrastructure projects and, increasingly, civilians. In March 2025, Baloch separatists killed dozens of people after hijacking a train, Jaffar express carrying 450 passengers.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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