A convoy transporting minerals from the Saindak project came under heavy attack in the Mangochar area of Balochistan’s Kalat district on Monday.
According to local sources, the convoy—comprising around 30 vehicles—was ambushed on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway by a large group of armed men after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) struck a security forces vehicle escorting it.
The 30-minute assault, involving explosions and heavy gunfire, caused serious damage to security forces, convoy personnel, and supply vehicles, the sources said.
According to officials, at least eight security personnel were injured in the attack.
An emergency was later declared at Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital in Mastung.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for this latest attack.
Second Major Highway Attack in 24 Hours
This attack marks the second major attack on Balochistan’s highways in the past 24 hours.
On Sunday evening, armed assailants reportedly set up blockades in Bolan, disarmed the guards of a Balochistan Assembly Member (MPA), and clashed with Pakistani security forces.
While no group has claimed responsibility for Monday’s ambush in Kalat, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed the Bolan operation.
In a media statement, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the group’s fighters established checkpoints on the Bolan-Sibi highway—including at Aab-e-Gum Green Hotel and Pir Ghaib Cross—on 23 February.
“BLF guerrilla fighters strategically engage on multiple fronts in their struggle for national liberation,”
Major Baloch said, adding that the group blocked the highway and seized government-issued weapons from the MPA’s security personnel. However, the MPA was allowed to leave and was treated “with dignity as a fellow Baloch.”
During the operation, a Pakistani military pickup and an armoured vehicle reportedly arrived at the scene. BLF fighters allegedly fired rocket launchers at the armoured vehicle, setting part of it on fire and injuring multiple soldiers.
The group accused Pakistani forces of shooting at civilian vehicles, saying one passerby was killed and several others injured. Major Baloch claimed BLF fighters controlled the Bolan-Sibi highway from 5 PM until midnight before withdrawing.
Escalating Highway Attacks
Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in attacks on major highways in recent months, with armed groups setting up roadblocks, stopping vehicles, and ambushing convoys.
Last week, seven “Punjab-bound travelers” were reportedly forced off a vehicle and executed at a roadblock in Radkan, Barkhan district.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) later claimed responsibility for those killings, accusing the victims of being Pakistani military and intelligence personnel. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch identified former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aashiq Hussain among those killed.
In response to these escalating attacks, Pakistani authorities have introduced new regulations for national highways, including mandatory security escorts, night-travel bans, and convoy travel under armed protection.
Despite these measures, the armed attacks appear to be on the rise, prompting observers to question whether the state’s writ over Balochistan’s major routes is diminishing.
UBA Claims Bolan Checkpoint Attack and Gas Pipeline Bombing
Meanwhile, another “pro-independence” armed group, the United Baloch Army (UBA), claimed responsibility for a separate attack in Bolan on the same day.
UBA spokesperson Mazar Baloch said that on 23 February, at around 8 PM, the group carried out a “severe attack” on a key Pakistani military checkpoint at Bibi Nani, causing what he described as “significant casualties and losses.”
UBA fighters reportedly detonated explosives on a gas pipeline in the same area, destroying a large section of infrastructure. Mazar Baloch said that attacks would continue “until the complete liberation of occupied Balochistan.”