A wave of coordinated militant assaults struck several districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, leaving four policemen dead and triggering major security operations across the region
A wave of coordinated militant assaults struck several districts of Pakistan’s Balochistan province early Saturday, leaving at least four policemen dead and setting off security operations across the region. The violence unfolded in the insurgency-affected southwest, with explosions and gunfire reported from multiple urban centres as authorities moved to repel the attackers, officials said.
“The coordinated gun and suicide attacks are being carried out across Balochistan, mainly in Quetta, Pasni, Mastung, Nushki and Gwadar districts,” a senior security official based in the provincial capital of Quetta told AFP.
In Quetta, the assaults began around 6am with a powerful explosion, followed by intense gunfire that continued for two hours along with multiple blasts.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long faced an insurgency led by Baloch separatist groups, who frequently target security forces and foreigners and have kidnapped government officials.
A senior police official, speaking anonymously, told Arab News that militants tried to enter the city but were stopped by police and other law enforcement agencies.
“The terrorists attacked a police mobile at Sariab Road, which resulted in the killing of two policemen,” he said. “Police and other law enforcement agencies denied space to the terrorists in Quetta city and a clearance operation is still going on.”
Residents in Dalbandin and Nushki reported hearing explosions and gunfire early Saturday, with similar incidents reported in Mastung, Gwadar, Pasni, and Turbat.
Officials say attacks were foiled
Shahid Rind, the Balochistan chief minister’s aide for media and political affairs, said police and the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) had thwarted the attacks and were pursuing the assailants.
“After the killing of more than 70 terrorists at different places in Balochistan in the last two days, terrorists have attempted to attack at a few places in Balochistan, which have been foiled by timely action by the police and FC,” he said on X.
“At present, the pursuit of the fleeing terrorists is underway. More details will be revealed very soon.”
Claim of responsibility and background
In a statement on Saturday, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said it had launched Operation ‘Herof 2.0,’ involving a series of attacks across several Balochistan cities.
Saturday’s violence follows coordinated assaults by the group in August 2024 in different districts of Balochistan that left dozens of people dead.
Separatists accuse the central government of exploiting the region’s resources to fund development elsewhere in the country. The Pakistani government rejects the claim and says it is working to improve conditions for local communities in Balochistan.
Pakistan Railways suspended train services from Balochistan to other parts of the country for a day after the attacks.
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