Authorities in Pakistan said Saturday that at least 18 soldiers were killed in an overnight insurgent attack in southwestern Balochistan province, marking one of the deadliest days for security forces in recent months.
A military statement said that the casualties occurred in the Kalat district Friday night, when “terrorists attempted to establish roadblocks” in the area, and that security forces promptly responded to what was labeled “a cowardly act of terrorism.”
The military said at least 12 assailants were killed in the ensuing gun battles.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office in Islamabad said in a statement that he strongly condemned the attack on security forces.
A series of security operations has been launched throughout Balochistan since the overnight attack, which killed at least 11 “terrorists” and destroyed their hideouts on Saturday, according to an army declaration.
“The sanitization operations will continue until perpetrators and facilitators of the heinous and cowardly act are brought to justice,” it said.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The BLA and several smaller separatist organizations operating in Balochistan claim they are fighting for the province’s independence and routinely target security forces as well as their installations in the natural resources-rich Pakistani region.
Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have experienced a dramatic surge in militant attacks over the past couple of years, killing thousands of Pakistani security forces and civilians.
In 2024 alone, military and law enforcement agencies collectively lost nearly 700 personnel in nationwide militant attacks, making it the deadliest year for government forces in a decade, according to official data and independent research reports.
Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, both bordering Afghanistan, have experienced much of the bloodshed. The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, is mainly blamed or claims credit for attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistani officials allege that TTP and Baloch insurgents use sanctuaries on Afghan soil to orchestrate cross-border terrorist raids with the support of that country’s Islamist Taliban leaders.
Taliban officials reject the allegations, saying they do not allow anyone to use Afghanistan to threaten neighboring countries.
