Rebel attack in Pakistan’s Balochistan province kills 15

Militants attacked Maher and Kolpur complexes in southwestern Balochistan province.

Karachi:

At least 15 people, including two civilians and four law enforcement officers, were killed in an attack by separatist militants in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Baluchistan province on Monday night, the Pakistani military said in a statement.

The Pakistani military’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said militants, including suicide bombers, attacked the Maher and Kolpur complexes in the southwestern province of Balochistan. At least nine militants were killed, including three suicide bombers, the report said.

“Security forces nearby were immediately mobilized for follow-up operations,” ISPR said.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of several separatist groups in the southwestern province of Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group’s goal is to achieve independence for the mountainous and mineral-rich province of Balochistan. Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province but least populous, has endured a decades-long insurgency.

Balochistan borders Afghanistan to the north, Iran to the west, and has a long coastline on the Arabian Sea. It hosts Pakistan’s largest natural gas field and is believed to contain more undiscovered reserves. It is also rich in precious metals including gold, the production of which has grown in recent years.

Balochistan is a key location in China’s multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and is part of President Xi Jinping’s massive Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

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