Authorities in Pakistan reported Monday that insurgents had killed at least 30 people in separate overnight attacks across the turbulent southwestern province of Baluchistan.
The violence started late on Sunday, with armed men blocking an interprovincial highway in Musakhail district and murdering at least 23 passengers after forcing them off multiple buses and trucks, the authorities said.
Ayub Achakzai, a senior area police officer, told reporters that the victims mostly were from Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan. He said the attackers inspected the passengers’ identities before executing them and set fire to 10 vehicles before fleeing.
Separately, authorities reported that insurgents had also carried out hit-and-run raids against police targets and clashed with security forces elsewhere in the sparsely populated province on Sunday night. The violence killed at least four security personnel, a pro-government tribal elder, and two civilians, area officials reported.
An outlawed insurgent group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), took responsibility for the overnight violence, claiming they targeted those working for Pakistani security forces and reported a much higher casualty toll.
The separatist group often issues inflated claims and is notorious for launching deadly attacks on residents from other parts of Pakistan who come to work or travel through Baluchistan, which is rich in natural resources.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Sunday’s terrorist attacks on passenger vehicles and in several other districts of Baluchistan, his office said.
Pakistan’s official radio reported Monday that security forces had “effectively” retaliated to overnight insurgent raids and killed “12 terrorists.” It did not elaborate. The official claims could not be verified from independent sources.
The BLA claimed in its statement that its latest attacks are part of a new operation launched across Baluchistan and warned residents of the province to “stay away from the highways and cooperate with the Baloch fighters.”
BLA, listed as a global terrorist organization by the United States, and several other banned ethnic Baluch groups routinely conduct attacks in Baluchistan, claiming to be fighting for its independence from Pakistan.
The impoverished province shares the country’s border with Iran and Afghanistan. It hosts major China-funded infrastructure projects, including the Chinese-operated deep-water port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea.
BLA has warned Beijing repeatedly against investing in Baluchistan and allegedly taking away its natural resources. They have targeted Chinese nationals associated with these projects.
Pakistan and China reject insurgent allegations of exploitation and have pledged to combat the security threat jointly.
