At least six Pakistani armed forces personnel were reportedly killed when armed fighters attacked a convoy of trucks carrying gold and other minerals from Saindak, as the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for a separate attack in Chamalang in which it said eight army personnel, including Major Tauseef Bhatti, were killed.
According to local sources, a large number of armed fighters attacked more than 20 trailers carrying minerals from Saindak, along with the security detail assigned to the convoy, using rockets and other weapons near Noshki.
Heavy clashes took place between the attackers and Pakistani forces during the assault. Sources said at least six military personnel were killed and several others injured.
Eight trucks loaded with minerals were reportedly destroyed in the attack, while several others were damaged. There were also reports that truck drivers were killed, but the number of driver casualties could not be immediately confirmed.
Following the attack, Pakistani forces began arriving in the area in large numbers, while police and ambulances were also dispatched to the site. Officials had not confirmed or denied the incident at the time of publication.
Separately, armed men set up a checkpoint near Dalbandin and searched vehicles, local sources said, adding that three members of the Siah Dik Copper Project were taken into custody during the operation, while a vehicle belonging to the Saindak Project was also seized.
No group had claimed responsibility for the Noshki convoy attack or the Dalbandin checkpoint incident at the time of publication.
The attacks came as the BLA claimed responsibility for the Chamalang attack reported earlier, saying its fighters had killed eight Pakistani army personnel, including Major Tauseef Bhatti, in the Bala Dak area.
In a statement, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group’s fighters targeted a Pakistani army convoy in what he described as a “coordinated attack” based on “precise intelligence” provided by “ZIRAB”, the group’s intelligence wing.
“During the operation, one vehicle was first blown up using a remote-controlled explosive device, followed by a heavy armed assault on the second vehicle,” the statement said.
The BLA claimed that eight Pakistani army personnel, including Major Tauseef Bhatti, were killed in the attack, adding that further details would be released later.