Pakistani security forces have come under attack in a series of coordinated operations across Balochistan, with multiple explosions and an armed ambush reported in Kalat district on Saturday.
In Kalat’s Manguchar area, three consecutive blasts targeted a military convoy. According to local sources, the first explosion struck near a vehicle, followed by a second detonation near a temporary military post. A third device reportedly went off as troops regrouped in response to the initial attack.
Military officials confirmed the deaths of at least two personnel and said four others were wounded. However, local sources suggested that up to eight may have been killed or injured in the coordinated blasts.
Ambulances were seen entering and leaving the area as security forces launched a rescue and clearance operation.
Shortly after the Manguchar attack, a separate incident was reported near Sheikhri in Kalat’s Morgand area. Members of a bomb disposal squad operating on foot were targeted by an improvised explosive device (IED). A second blast reportedly destroyed a military vehicle. The forces, travelling in both vehicles and on motorbikes, were then ambushed by armed fighters.
Local reports described the ambush as “high-intensity” and suggested there were “heavy casualties”. Pakistani authorities have not confirmed the scale of losses.
No group has claimed responsibility for the Kalat attacks. However, similar operations in the past have been carried out by Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
In Mastung district, the BLF claimed responsibility for an attack on a convoy transporting equipment for the Saindak copper-gold project.
In a statement, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the group’s fighters targeted generator trucks near the Balochistan Hotel in KhadKucha on Friday afternoon. “The trucks and the goods were damaged,” he said.
The group also said it carried out a sniper attack on a military checkpost in Awaran’s Zilag area on Thursday evening, claiming one soldier was killed.
Elsewhere in Mastung, an officer from the Excise, Taxation and Anti-Narcotics Department was briefly held hostage by armed men on Friday.
Officials said Mir Sultan Zehri was intercepted during an operation. His government-issued weapon and vehicle were seized before he was released. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Meanwhile in Khuzdar district, a grenade and gunfire attack was reported late Friday night at the residence of District Chairman Salahuddin Zehri in the Zehri Chashma area.
Zehri, a political ally of former Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, was not present at the time and was unharmed.
In Jhal Magsi district, an IED exploded near the premises of a private construction company in Gandawah. Police said the roadside device caused no casualties, and a search operation has been launched in the area.
Balochistan has witnessed a surge in armed attacks in recent months, as Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups intensify a long-running insurgency against the Pakistani state.
Analysts say the growing frequency, geographical spread, and coordination of attacks indicate a more organized phase of the conflict, posing significant challenges to Pakistan’s control over the restive region.