10 Security Personnel Killed In Balochistan Attacks, Says Pakistan
Pakistan’s interior minister said Saturday that 10 security personnel and 37 militants were killed in clashes across cities in Balochistan province.
Pakistan’s interior minister said Saturday that 10 security personnel and 37 militants were killed in clashes across cities in Balochistan province.
Police said insurgents also attacked a prison and freed more than 30 inmates.
Pakistani media reported that telecommunications services were suspended in Quetta, Sibi and Chaman following coordinated attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army in several areas, with some outlets saying the shutdown was ordered by provincial authorities.
The violence follows an attack on the Jaffar Express train on the Quetta–Peshawar route in March 2025 and is being described as one of the largest attacks by Baloch separatists in recent years.
According to Agence France-Presse, armed attackers carried out nearly a dozen coordinated assaults early Saturday in southern Pakistan, using firearms and hand grenades. Targets included a high-security prison, police posts and paramilitary facilities.
At the same time, the Balochistan health department declared an emergency at government hospitals across the province to treat the wounded.
Balochistan’s health minister, Bakht Muhammad Kakar, instructed health officials and hospitals to ensure immediate medical care for those injured and to closely monitor treatment. Operating theatres in Quetta health facilities were placed on high alert and additional doctors deployed, officials said.
The Baloch Liberation Army had earlier announced the launch of what it called the second phase of its campaign, referred to as “Operation Hero”. Its spokesperson, Jeeyand Baloch, described the phase as resistance against what he termed an occupying state and its military structures.
The group is banned in Pakistan and is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States.
The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in recent years. Pakistan accuses the group of receiving support from India, a charge New Delhi denies.
Pakistani officials have also said Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants use Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside Pakistan, allegations rejected by Taliban authorities.
The group launched the first phase of its campaign in August 2024 as part of what it described as a multi-stage effort to “reclaim Balochistan”, claiming it killed at least 130 Pakistani security personnel and briefly seized control of highways and key facilities, including a military base.
