The Kabul Tribune (KT) — At least 67 militants were killed Saturday in coordinated attacks across Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, security officials told Reuters. Ten police and security personnel and 11 civilians also died in the violence, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Twenty-four police officers were injured in the clashes, which unfolded across several cities. Pakistan’s military media wing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks and praised security forces for repelling them, saying dozens of militants had been killed, Reuters reported.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility, saying it carried out simultaneous attacks across the province and alleging it had killed 84 security personnel. Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the center of a separatist insurgency.
The surge in violence came a day after Pakistan’s military said it killed 41 militants in separate raids in the province, according to Reuters.
Security officials said armed assailants struck in multiple urban centers, including the provincial capital of Quetta and the port city of Gwadar, prompting operations by the army, police and counterterrorism units. Hospitals in several districts were placed on emergency footing.
Migrants Targeted in Gwadar
In Gwadar, militants attacked a camp housing migrant workers, killing 11 people, senior police official Atta-ur-Rehman said. The dead included five men, three women and three children. Six militants were killed after security forces responded, he said.
Officials said the situation remained critical in Noshki, where militants abducted the district’s top civil administrator. In a video posted on social media, he said he was being held by the attackers, though Reuters could not independently verify the footage.
Armed men also briefly blocked roads in parts of Quetta, and a blast was heard near a high-security area, authorities said. Officials later reported that security forces had regained control.
