Ten security officials, 37 militants killed in SW Pakistan attacks: official

At least 10 security officials and 37 militants were killed as ethnic Baloch separatists launched “coordinated” attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Saturday, an official said, the latest violence in the insurgency-hit southwest region.

Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces, foreign nationals and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

“The terrorists … launched coordinated attacks this morning at more than 12 locations”, a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

“Thirty-seven terrorists have been eliminated… Ten security personnel were martyred while a few others were injured,” the official added.

A senior security official based in the provincial capital of Quetta told AFP at least four policemen were killed in Quetta, although it was not clear whether they were included in the 10 officials killed.

A senior military official based in Islamabad confirmed the attacks, adding they were “coordinated but poorly executed”.

The attacks “failed due to poor planning and rapid collapse under effective security response,” the official added.

Separatists had also abucted the deputy commissioner of Nushki district, a senior official in Quetta told AFP.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for “foiling coordinated attacks” in 12 locations.

“I, along with the entire nation, am proud of our martyrs,” Sharif said in a statement accusing India of backing the separatists.

“We will continue the war against terrorism until its complete eradication from the country,” he said.

At least four police officials in as many districts confirmed to AFP that the situation was not completely under control yet.

Mobile phone services have been jammed and traffic disrupted in the affected districts, while train services have been suspended across the province.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most active militant separatist group in the province, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement sent to AFP.

The group claimed to target military installations and police and civil administration officials during gun attacks and suicide bombings, adding that major highways were also blocked to disrupt the military’s operation.

– ‘Explosions one after another’ –

In Quetta, an AFP journalist heard several explosions as heavy security was deployed across the city, with major roads deserted and business activity shut down.

“Since morning, there have been explosions one after another,” Abdul Wali, a 38-year-old private employee, told AFP as he struggled to find blood for his hospitalised mother.

“The police point guns at us and say go back otherwise they beat us. What should we do?” he added.

Saturday’s attacks come a day after the military said it had killed 41 insurgents in two separate operations in the province.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s poorest province, despite an abundance of untapped natural resources, and lags behind the rest of the country in education, employment and economic development.

Baloch separatists have intensified attacks on Pakistanis from neighbouring provinces working in the region in recent years, as well as foreign energy firms, which they believe are exploiting the province’s riches.

Pakistan routinely accuses neighbouring India and Afghanistan of fomenting militancy.

“Throughout the operation, the terrorists were reportedly in continuous contact with their handlers in Afghanistan,” the security official said.

Last year, ethnic Baloch separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board, sparking a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed.