Pakistani forces were targeted in Balochistan’s Washuk, Kharan and Kalat districts on Thursday, local sources said, as Baloch armed groups claimed responsibility for separate attacks elsewhere in the region.
In Washuk, armed men attacked a Frontier Corps post and an adjoining Levies post along the CPEC road near a tehsil headquarters, sources said, adding that the attackers took control of the Levies post, disarmed personnel and seized weapons.
In neighbouring Kharan district, unidentified assailants targeted a location in the Barshonki area allegedly linked to Hafiz Mumtaz, whom local sources described as being associated with a pro-government group.
In the Chappar area of Kalat, Pakistani forces were ambushed while advancing in the area, sources added.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attacks in Washuk, Kharan or Kalat at the time of reporting, and authorities did not immediately respond.
Separately, the Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) said it carried out an improvised explosive device (IED) attack on the Jaffar Express in Shikarpur on March 17, claiming the blast caused “severe damage” to the train and railway track.
The group also said its fighters targeted police personnel at a checkpoint on Talli Road near Sibi the same night after officers attempted to stop them.
BRG spokesperson Dostain Baloch said the group “accepts responsibility” for both attacks and warned police personnel against taking action against Baloch fighters.
In another statement, the group said it destroyed two towers of a 220kV electricity transmission line in Naseerabad on March 19 using explosive materials, adding that nearby infrastructure was also damaged.
The BRG said such operations would continue until what it described as the “independence of Balochistan.”
Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) said its fighters carried out attacks on Pakistani military positions in Mand and Hirronk on March 16.
BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the group used grenade launchers and automatic weapons in attacks on army posts in Redheg and Soro in Mand, as well as on a post along the CPEC road in Hirronk, claiming Pakistani forces suffered “casualties and material losses.”