Pakistan: Over 40 Dead After Separatist Attacks in Balochistan
At least ten security personnel and 37 rebels were killed on Saturday during coordinated attacks by separatists in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, according to an official report.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed support for the armed forces in their determined fight to defend the country.
"The terrorists (...) launched coordinated attacks this morning in over 12 locations," a senior security official told AFP, referring to the separatists in this impoverished province, which frequently experiences unrest.
"Thirty-seven attackers were eliminated, ten security personnel were killed, and several others were injured," the official, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, added.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, the main separatist movement in the province, claimed responsibility for these attacks in a statement sent to AFP.
- Explosion After Explosion -
An initial report from a security officer in Quetta indicated that four police officers had been killed. He specified that the separatists had conducted suicide and armed attacks, particularly in the provincial capital Quetta and other localities.
In Quetta, an AFP journalist heard several explosions. A significant security presence was deployed in the city, with deserted streets and closed businesses.
"Since this morning, there has been explosion after explosion," Abdul Wali, a 38-year-old resident, told AFP. "The police are pointing their guns at us and telling us to go home," he added, explaining he was trying to cross the city to see his hospitalized mother.
Rail services have been suspended in the targeted areas, and mobile phone services as well as road traffic are disrupted.
The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed to have targeted military and police installations, as well as blocked highways to slow the military's response to these attacks.
A senior military official in Islamabad confirmed the coordinated attacks but stated they had "failed (...) thanks to an effective response from the security forces." He did not comment on the human toll.
The attacks on Saturday came a day after the Pakistani military claimed to have killed 41 separatist rebels in Balochistan.
Separatists regularly attack state representatives and Pakistanis from other provinces.
Balochistan has notably witnessed a spectacular hostage situation by separatists on a train in March, resulting in dozens of deaths.
For decades, the Baloch people have claimed to be marginalized in their province: officially, 70% of the population lives in poverty, while the region is rich in minerals and hydrocarbons, exploited notably by Chinese companies.
The year 2024 was particularly deadly, with over 1,600 deaths, nearly half of which were soldiers and police, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad.
AFP