QUETTA, Balochistan Jan 31 : Baloch separatist militants launched a series of “coordinated” gun and suicide attacks across five districts in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Saturday, killing at least 10 security officials and several militants, according to local security officials and international news reports. The attacks were carried out mainly in Quetta, Pasni, Mastung, Nushki and Gwadar districts and targeted police, military installations and civil administration offices.
A senior security official in Quetta, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the assaults involved small‑arms fire and suicide bombers striking multiple locations almost simultaneously. “At least four policemen were killed in Quetta alone,” he told AFP, adding that the overall toll among security forces across the five districts stands at around 10, with dozens of militants also reported dead in the ensuing clashes.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a US‑designated separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks. In a statement, the group said its fighters aimed to hit military and paramilitary posts as well as police and civil‑administration targets, reflecting its long‑standing campaign for greater autonomy or independence for Balochistan.
Following the attacks, security forces launched a sweeping counter‑operation across the affected districts. Emergency response teams, including Frontier Corps and police commandos, were deployed in Quetta and other key towns, while checkpoints and patrols were intensified along highways and urban centres. Officials said internet and train services were briefly suspended or disrupted in parts of the province as a precautionary measure.
Senior officials described the assault as “coordinated but poorly executed,” arguing that rapid security response prevented the militants from consolidating control over any major installation. “The attacks failed due to inadequate planning and a swift collapse under effective security measures,” one official said, though he declined to comment on exact casualty figures.
Balochistan, a mineral‑rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, has seen decades of separatist insurgency. Militant groups such as the BLA and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) have repeatedly targeted security forces, foreign workers and infrastructure projects, including those linked to the China‑Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Analysts say the latest wave of violence underscores the fragile security situation in the region despite repeated military operations.
