Baloch armed groups said on Sunday that they killed at least 22 Pakistani soldiers, including special forces commandos, in a series of attacks across several districts of Balochistan. The Pakistani military did not immediately comment.
BLA claims major assaults in Kalat
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said its fighters killed 17 members of Pakistan’s armed forces, including six commandos, in coordinated ambushes and assaults across Kalat district.
In a statement sent to the media, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the attacks targeted military positions in the Sheikhri, Morgand, Makai, Garap, and Khesar areas. “As a result of the attacks, seventeen personnel, including six commandos of the occupying army, were neutralised,” the statement said.
The BLA said its fighters first ambushed troops on foot in Makai on Thursday while they were delivering supplies to a post. A separate squad struck a military post and supply vehicles at Garap, causing casualties and material losses.
According to the group, clashes began early on Friday in Sheikhri and Morgand, where troops and vehicles were ambushed. Forces advancing from the Shah Mardan camp were also attacked, and fighting continued there for several hours.
At Khesar, between Johan and Shah Mardan, the group said its fighters attacked three vehicles and “neutralised” six SSG and SOG commandos, seizing weapons and specialist gear including night-vision and thermal scopes.
“In the attacks that took place at different locations over two days, more than seventeen occupying Pakistani army personnel, including six commandos, were neutralised and several others wounded,” the statement said, adding that the BLA’s “armed struggle will continue until the Baloch nation achieves independence.”
Pakistani officials confirmed clashes in the area on Friday, saying at least six soldiers, including two commandos, were killed and clearance operations were ongoing.
Kalat district has seen repeated clashes between Baloch armed groups and Pakistani armed forces over the years, including attacks on convoys and temporary seizures of towns and checkpoints. The scale and coordination of recent operations appear to have increased in recent months.
BRA–BLF joint operation in Kachhi
Meanwhile, Sarbaz Baloch, spokesperson for the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), said BRA fighters, acting jointly with the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), ambushed a convoy of Pakistani forces in the Misser Shahwani area of Sanni, Kachhi district.
He said five soldiers were killed and three military vehicles destroyed, while another vehicle was seized along with weapons, ammunition, and what he described as a modern surveillance drone.
The spokesperson said the operation was conducted “in coordination with BLF comrades” and that similar joint actions would continue.
IED blast near Gwadar
In a separate incident, an improvised explosive device (IED) struck a vehicle belonging to a Pakistani military convoy in Ormara, near Gwadar, on Saturday.
Sources said the convoy was patrolling the Coastal Highway when the device exploded, causing multiple casualties among the personnel on board.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though similar bombings in the past have been carried out by Baloch armed groups. The Pakistani military has not issued a statement.