Pakistan: Over 40 Dead After Separatist Attacks in Balochistan
At least ten members of the security forces and 37 rebels were killed on Saturday during "coordinated" attacks carried out by separatists in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, located in the southwest of the country, according to an official announcement.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his support for the armed forces in their "determined struggle to defend the country."
"The terrorists (...) launched coordinated attacks this morning in more than 12 locations," stated a senior security official to AFP, referring to the separatists in this impoverished province, which frequently experiences unrest.
Thirty-seven attackers "were neutralized," ten members of the security forces were killed, and several others were injured, added the official who wished to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
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 by a security official in Quetta indicated that four police officers were killed. He specified that the separatists conducted suicide and armed attacks, particularly in the provincial capital Quetta and other localities.
In Quetta, an AFP journalist heard several explosions. A major security operation was deployed in the city. The streets were deserted and businesses were closed.
"Since this morning, there has been explosion after explosion," Abdul Wali, a 38-year-old resident, told AFP. "The police are pointing their weapons and telling us to go home," added the man who was supposed to cross the city to visit his hospitalized mother.
Railway services have been suspended in the targeted areas, and mobile phone services as well as road traffic have been disrupted.
The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed to have targeted military and police installations but also blocked highways to slow down the army's response to these attacks.
A senior military official in Islamabad confirmed these "coordinated" attacks but stated that they had "failed (...) due to an effective response from the security forces." He did not comment on the human toll.
The attacks on Saturday occurred a day after the Pakistani army 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-taking by separatists on a train in March, which resulted in dozens of deaths.
For decades, the Baloch people have claimed to be marginalized in their province: officially, 70% of the inhabitants are poor while the subsoil is rich in minerals and hydrocarbons, exploited by Chinese companies among others.
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