Over 120 people were killed in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Saturday after separatist militants carried out coordinated attacks in the area. At least 92 militants were among those dead, and least 33 people, including 15 security personnel and 18 civilians, were also killed, according to the Pakistani military.
ALSO READ | Suspected militant killed in gunfight with security forces in Assam: Police
The military said security forces responded swiftly, launching clearance operations that resulted in the killing of 92 militants, including three suicide bombers. Officials described the attacks as coordinated but said they collapsed quickly under pressure from security forces, news agency Reuters reported.
The violence spread across several districts, including Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Panjgur, Tump and Pasni, disrupting normal life. Roads were blocked, mobile networks were jammed, and train services across the province were suspended as security operations continued, the report stated.
ALSO READ | Chief of newly formed militant outfit arrested in Manipur, arms recovered: Police
In Gwadar, militants attacked a camp housing migrant workers, killing 11 civilians, including women and children, police said. Security forces later killed six militants in the area. Hospitals in affected districts were placed on emergency alert due to the influx of injured people, the report added.
{{/usCountry}}In Gwadar, militants attacked a camp housing migrant workers, killing 11 civilians, including women and children, police said. Security forces later killed six militants in the area. Hospitals in affected districts were placed on emergency alert due to the influx of injured people, the report added.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said militants also stormed a district jail, freeing at least 30 inmates and seizing weapons and ammunition. In another district, attackers abducted a senior civil administrator.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it had launched simultaneous strikes across the province targeting military, police and government installations. The Pakistani military rejected the group’s claims of territorial control and said no city or key installation was captured, the report noted.
ALSO READ | 2 injured in suspected militant attack at hotel outside Jerusalem: Police
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised security forces for thwarting the attacks and said Pakistan would continue its fight against terrorism. The military accused militants of being supported from outside the country, a charge that has been denied by India.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, has faced a decades-long separatist insurgency, with repeated attacks on security forces, civilians and development projects in the resource-rich region.
(With inputs from Reuters)