Recent days have seen a significant rise in attacks on Levies checkposts across Balochistan, with the latest incident occurring in the Mawand area of the Kohlu district, where unidentified assailants set fire to the Saeedabad Levies checkpost late at night, completely destroying it.
Following the attack, Levies authorities reportedly launched an investigation to track down the perpetrators and determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
This attack follows a pattern of similar incidents in recent days, with armed assailants targeting Levies checkposts in various districts of Balochistan, including Khuzdar, Kalat, and others. In these attacks, assailants not only set fire to the checkposts but also seized weapons before leaving the scene, often sparing the lives of Levies personnel after issuing threats.
In another incident, gunmen attacked a Levies checkpost in the Togho Chappar area of Kalat district, resulting in the death of one officer and leaving two others critically injured. Both the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Chief Minister of Balochistan condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
Moreover, in the Mashkay area of Awaran district, armed men launched attacks on three different Levies checkposts, seizing weapons from each location.
While several of these incidents have been claimed by Baloch ‘pro-independence’ armed groups, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the recent attack in Kohlu.
In response to the growing security concerns, the Balochistan government has expressed alarm over the apparent lack of resistance from Levies and police officers during these attacks. Authorities have taken immediate action, dismissing over 20 personnel who failed to resist the attackers, and suspending an Assistant Commissioner in connection with the incidents.