At least 21 dead in coordinated attacks by alleged separatists in Pakistan
Pakistan has been battling a separatist movement in Balochistan for decades, where rebels target state forces, foreign nationals and non-locals.
At least 10 security officials and 11 civilians have been killed as armed men launched coordinated attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan province, officials said, in the latest incident in the violence-hit southwest region.
Several police stations in the provincial capital of Quetta were targeted by alleged ethnic Baloch gunmen in an attack that began at about 3am local time on Saturday (22:00 GMT on Friday).
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Pakistan has been battling a separatist movement in Balochistan for decades, where rebels target state forces, foreign nationals and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attacks, according to a report by the AFP news agency. The group claimed to target military installations and police and civil administration officials in gun attacks and suicide bombings.
An unnamed security official quoted by the AFP said it was a coordinated attack which hit “more than 12 locations”. At least 67 BLA fighters were also killed, taking the total toll to 108 fighters killed in the last 48 hours.
Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said most of the BLA attacks were foiled.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a statement, said the attacks were carried out by “Fitna al-Hindustan”, a phrase the government uses for the BLA, which he alleged is backed by neighbouring arch enemy, India.
In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for “foiling” the attacks, also accusing India of backing the separatists. “We will continue the war against terrorism until its complete eradication,” he said.
New Delhi has not yet responded to the allegations.
Several members of the Pakistani security forces were reported to have been abducted during the attacks. Internet and train services have been suspended while a security operation is under way.
The attacks came a day after the military said it had killed 41 armed fighters in two separate operations in Balochistan, Pakistan’s poorest province, despite an abundance of untapped natural resources.
“Over the past 12 months, security forces in Balochistan have sent more than 700 terrorists to hell, with around 70 terrorists eliminated in just the last two days alone,” said Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan province. “These attacks cannot weaken our resolve against terrorism.”
Balochistan has long been the site of a rebellion by separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad.
Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent months. The TTP is a separate group but is believed to be allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021.
Last year, ethnic Baloch separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board, prompting a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed.
In August 2024, the rebels blew up bridges, stormed hotels and targeted security installations in assaults across the province that left dozens dead.
