Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been plagued by a low-intensity separatist insurgency.
At least seven soldiers of the Pakistan Army were killed on Tuesday in a deadly improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the restive Balochistan province, according to a CNN News-18 report. The Pakistan Army later identified the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, as the perpetrators of the attack.
The incident occurred in the Mach area of Kachhi district, where a military vehicle was targeted by the explosive device. “Terrorists belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army targeted a security forces’ vehicle with an improvised explosive device,” said an army spokesperson in a press release issued later in the day.
This latest attack comes amid a recent surge in militant activity across Balochistan. Just days earlier, 30 to 40 armed men blocked a major highway in the province, intercepting a police transport van and taking five officers hostage. That incident highlighted the growing boldness of insurgent groups in the region.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been plagued by a low-intensity separatist insurgency. Groups like the BLA accuse the Pakistani state of exploiting the province라이브 바카라 rich natural resources while marginalizing the local population. Security forces, government infrastructure, and foreign-backed development projects—particularly those linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)—are frequently targeted.
In March, the BLA was responsible for one of its most audacious attacks in recent years, hijacking a passenger train and taking hundreds hostage in a siege that lasted three days, during which off-duty personnel were executed.
The Pakistan Army has vowed to continue its counterinsurgency efforts in the province, asserting that "such cowardly acts" will not deter national resolve.