Pakistani security forces in Balochistan’s Panjgur district were attacked for the second time in 24 hours as a military operation continues in the region.
Unidentified assailants targeted a checkpoint on the Rakhsan Bridge, with locals reporting explosions and gunfire. The authorities have not yet commented on the incident. The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for previous attacks and this one as well.
The attack on the checkpoint follows another on a convoy of Pakistani forces on the CPEC road. Security personnel were injured in that incident, which officials confirmed. The region has seen a sudden increase in attacks, including two separate attacks on police in Quetta that killed two people, a bombing of the railroad in Sibbi, and an attack on a resident of Punjab in Turbat.
A large-scale military operation is ongoing in Panjgur’s Kilkor, with land forces and gunship helicopters penetrating deep into the region. However, there are no reports of detentions or damage to the local population. The authorities have not yet responded to the reports, and it is unclear whether the operation and the attacks are related.
The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in Panjgur. The group said its fighters had targeted the security forces in two separate attacks in the district, killing four and wounding several others.
The BLA said it targeted two vehicles of Pakistani forces on the CPEC route, killing four and wounding several others. The group said that the forces panicked and tried to escape, due to which their vehicle was upturned, injuring the seven soldiers inside.
The group also claimed responsibility for the attack on the check point on Rakhsan Bridge, which injured two soldiers and caused significant material damage to the security forces.