A main bridge on the Quetta-Taftan trade route was destroyed in an explosion near Yak Mach early on Tuesday, while a freight convoy and its security escort were attacked at the same location, marking the fifth such attack in Balochistan’s Chagai district within 24 hours, sources said.
Armed fighters planted explosives at the bridge in the Jojaki area of Yak Mach and detonated them, destroying the structure. A convoy of commercial vehicles and the Pakistani forces escorting it subsequently came under armed attack in the same area.
Sources said Pakistani personnel were killed and injured in the attack, while several commercial vehicles were also damaged.
Authorities did not immediately provide details of the reported casualties or the extent of the damage.
Pakistani forces, freight vehicles and convoys associated with the Saindak Project have now been targeted in five attacks along the Quetta-Taftan route in Dalbandin over the past 24 hours.
Read More: Freight Convoys Attacked in Chagai as BLA-Declared ‘Economic Blockade’ Continues
The attacks began on Monday near Yak Mach and continued at Nokchah, Char Sar and Chehatar, where several vehicles were damaged, one was set ablaze and another was seized.
Authorities confirmed that three personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured, while sources reported further casualties among Pakistani forces.
Armed fighters also took two drivers and a heavy vehicle away during the attacks.
No group had claimed responsibility for the latest attack at the time of publication. However, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed that it has established “complete control” over the Quetta–Taftan route and other major highways as part of what it calls an “economic blockade”, during which more than 200 vehicles have reportedly been targeted.
Read More: BLA Claims Dalbandin Takeover, Declares ‘Complete Control’ of Quetta-Taftan Highway