Terrorism surged in Balochistan on Monday, as extremists staged a series of attacks across the province, resulting in the loss of several lives and destruction of public infrastructure.
In the first such incident, at least 10 people were martyred during a gun attack in Kalat. Dostin Dashti, the region’s senior superintendent of police, told journalists the martyred people included a police sub-inspector, four Levies personnel and five citizens. He said the suspects had fled the area after the attack and police had launched an operation to locate and apprehend them.
According to Dashti, the assault commenced overnight, with a sustained exchange of fire between the extremists and law enforcers at Kalat’s national highway and city. Local media reported that a Levies official was injured in the same attack and was being treated at hospital.
The attacks commenced late on Sunday night, per locals, with unidentified armed men attacking Levies posts and police stations in Mastung, Kalat, Pasni and Suntsar. Additional reports of bombings and grenade attacks were received from Sibi Panjgur, Mastung, Turbat, Bela and Quetta. The attackers also destroyed a railway track linking Pakistan with Iran at the bypass area of Mastung, hampering connectivity. In a statement shared on social media, the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Separately, a railway bridge was blown up in Bolan’s Dozan area, forcing the suspension of services between Punjab and Sindh.
In Pasni, armed men attacked the police station, clashed with officials and set fire to three vehicles and motorcycles parked there. Another police station in Suntsar, a coastal town of Gwadar, was ransacked, with the attackers fleeing with weaponry. At a Levies post in Mastung, armed men set fire to several vehicles, as well as official records. No injuries or deaths were reported from the attack.
The security forces’ retaliation against the attacks has resulted in the killing of at least 12 terrorists. State-run Radio Pakistan reported that an ongoing clearance operation would continue until all the terrorists were eliminated.