Two Pakistani military personnel were killed and four others injured in a bomb attack on a military convoy near Turbat city in Balochistan late Tuesday night. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a media statement on Wednesday, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group’s fighters targeted a three-vehicle convoy of Pakistani forces with a remote-controlled IED near the Gogdan-Soraap Bridge, on the outskirts of Turbat. He claimed the explosion killed two Pakistani soldiers and injured at least four others.
Pakistan’s military media wing, ISPR, has not yet commented on the incident.
The attack in Turbat is the latest in a series of high-intensity operations by Baloch armed groups targeting Pakistani security forces. Over the past three weeks, a wave of high-profile attacks has left dozens of army personnel dead, including multiple officers of major rank.
On 16 July, Major Syed Rabnawaz Tariq was killed in an ambush in Awaran district, in an attack claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF). Three days later, Major Anwar Kakar died in a magnetic bomb blast near Jabal-e-Noor in Quetta, carried out by the BLA’s Special Tactical Operations Squad (STOS).
On 23 July, Major Zaid Saleem was killed during clashes with BLA fighters in the mountainous region of Mastung. Most recently, on 5 August, Major Rizwan was killed in a roadside IED blast in Nushki, also claimed by the BLA.
Security analysts say the recent targeting of senior military officers demonstrates an increased ability by Baloch armed groups to conduct extensive planning and gather accurate intelligence in order to strike high-profile military targets. They argue that by carrying out such attacks, Baloch armed groups have not only expanded their operational reach but are now also in a position to exert psychological pressure on the military command structure.