At least 42 people were killed in various incidents throughout Balochistan in the past week. These include eleven civilians (including a Turkish national working for a mining company), a former commander of a terrorist group who surrendered, five security forces personnel (among them three Frontier Corps soldiers and two Police personnel) and twenty-five militants.
Security forces launched a counter-terrorism operation on Tuesday, 21 April in the Kolwah area of Awaran District, targeting militants of the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) who were terrorizing the local population, Behram Khan (@behram_91khan) reports on X. Security forces personnel launched a swift strike, and 3 BLF militants were killed during the operation.
On the same day, a separate incident occurred when militants belonging to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) killed one of their own former commanders in a targeted attack in Panjgur District. The deceased person, identified as Akhtar (son of Anwar), was a former organizational commander of BLA who rebelled against the organization and attacked members of the terrorist group before surrendering to the government. The deceased was the brother of BLA commander Farooq alias Soro, who was killed by security forces in an operation earlier in January of this year. The incident was reported by Baano (@BaanorBaloch) on X.
On Wednesday, 22 April, a hand grenade attack was carried out by militants in the Killi Pindrani area of Kalat District. The incident resulted in four people — all civilians — being injured. The incident was reported by Black Dove (@Info_Balochistn) on X.
Separately on the night of the same day, a major exchange of fire had erupted along the N40 Highway in around the area of Yakmach, Dalbandin, Chagai District. The incident occurred when militants belonging to BLA attempted to set up a blockade at the highway. Security forces personnel intercepted the terrorists and an exchange of fire ensued subsequently, during which seven BLA militants were killed while three Frontier Corps soldiers also lost their lives in the clash, while five Frontier Corps soldiers were also injured. The incident was reported by The Khyber Chronicles (@TKCkhyber) on X.
Another incident occurred on the same day, when man identified as Nizam Uddin Balghani (son of Lal Bux) was killed by unidentified armed men in the Kishingi area of Nushki District. The deceased victim was a resident of Kishingi. The incident was reported by Black Dove (@Info_Balochistn) on X.
On the evening of the same day, Wednesday, 22 April, militants carried out a large attack targeting a mining site of the National Resources Limited (NRL) in the Darigoon area of Chagai District, around 120 kilometers from district headquarters Dalbandin. Around 40 armed men in motorcycles and cars attacked the site from multiple directions using small arms and rocket fire. Ten people were killed in the attack, including a foreign national, while five others were injured, and — according to unconfirmed reports — the militants may have also abducted an unspecified number of workers. The attackers also set fire to drilling machinery, a generator and other equipment, and caused a fuel tank to explode which resulted in the deaths of several employees, while also taking several vehicles with them, according to a police official. The deceased victims include a Turkish national identified as Omar (who worked as a driller), employees of a security company Rehmatullah and Ikram Khan (both local residents of Dalbandin), geologists Muhammad Asif (resident of Gilgit) and Shafiq Sajid, Ali Sher (resident of Khairpur, Sindh), Sher Zaman (resident of Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sultan (resident of Lasbela, Balochistan), Sajjad (resident of Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Vikram Galuram (resident of Sindh). Following the attack, security forces immediately cordoned off the area and launched a search and clearance operation to trace the perpetrators responsible for the attack. The incident was reported by Urdu News.
On Wednesday, 22 April, an exchange of fire was reported between security forces personnel and BLA militants during a counter-terrorism operation in Nushki District. Security forces conducted a drone strike on the militants during the operation, killing five BLA militants, War Analyst (@War_Analysts) reported on X.
On Friday, 24 April, an exchange of fire was reported when BLA militants attacked the Dhadar Police Station in Dhadar, Kalat District. The attack resulted in the death of a Police officer, while five BLA militants were also killed when Police personnel manning the station returned retaliatory fire. The incident was reported by War Analyst (@War_Analysts) on X.
On Saturday, 25 April, security forces personnel responded promptly and launched an operation in the Laj area of Kharan District in response to a group of BLA militants terrorizing the local population. An exchange of fire ensued, during which no casualties were reported, but the militants fled the area after injuring an unspecified number of civilians in indiscriminate fire. The incident was reported by Voice of Balochs (@VOB_52) on X.
Separately on the same day, an exchange of fire was reported in Panjgur District between security forces personnel and BLA militants. During the clash, at least five BLA militants were killed. The incident was reported by Koh-Gard Baloch (@Jaanbaloch66) on X.
On the evening of Monday, 27 April, terrorists attacked a Police checkpost in the Killi Harmezai area of Pishin District. A Police official, Havildar Nematullah, was critically injured and rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries. The incident was reported by The Express Tribune.
On the evening of the same day, another terrorist attack was carried out by militants on the Aziz checkpost in the area of Khad Koocha in Mastung District, along the Quetta-Karachi National Highway. There were no casualties reported from the incident, The Khyber Chronicles (@TKCkhyber) reported on X.
Separately on the same day, a hand grenade attack was carried out on a house in shopping street in Dalbandin, Chagai District. Five non-local residents (hailing from Punjab) were injured in the attack. The injured victims were identified as Muhammad Muzammil (resident of Multan), Ismail (resident of Multan), Mushtaq (resident of Sialkot), Khan Muhammad (resident of Sialkot) and Ejaz (resident of Narowal). The incident was reported by Black Dove (@Info_Balochistn) on X.