A large number of armed men reportedly launched coordinated attacks at multiple separate locations in Kalat district, Balochistan, on the intervening night between Friday and Saturday.
According to reports, the attackers targeted paramilitary forces and installations, setting ablaze a private bank, Al-Habib Bank Limited, in Manguchar town. The armed men also set up roadblocks on the Quetta-Karachi Highway, conducting snap checks for some hours.
The attacks took place in the Bidrang, Khazeni, and Manguchar areas of Kalat, approximately 110 km from Balochistan’s capital, Quetta.
Deputy Commissioner Kalat, Bilal Shabbir, confirmed the attack, stating, “The exchange of fire between security forces and the militants continued for a long time. Meanwhile, traffic on the Quetta-Karachi Highway was disrupted.”
Shabbir further reported that a van carrying 17 soldiers from Panjgur to Quetta was ambushed near the mountainous area of Khazeni, where armed men engaged in a fierce battle with paramilitary Levies and Frontier Corps personnel.
Assistant Commissioner Manguchar, Ali Gul Hassan, informed the media that security forces completed a clearance operation in the area during the early hours of Saturday, and the Quetta-Karachi Highway (N-25) has been reopened for traffic.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of filing this report.