The death toll from a series of militant attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has risen to at least 73, according to Pakistani officials. The attacks, carried out by separatist militants, targeted police stations, railway lines, highways, and led to retaliatory operations by security forces.
The assaults, some of the most extensive in years, were part of a decades-long insurgency by ethnic militants seeking the secession of the resource-rich southwestern province.
Pakistan’s military reported that 14 soldiers and police officers, along with 21 militants, were killed in the fighting, which included an attack on buses and trucks along a major highway.
Balochistan’s chief minister stated that 38 civilians were also killed. Local officials reported that 23 of them died in a roadside attack where armed men checked passengers’ identification before shooting many of them and setting vehicles on fire.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an armed militant group, claimed responsibility for the operation, which they called “Haruf,” meaning “dark windy storm.” In a statement to journalists, the group claimed additional attacks over the past day, though these have yet to be confirmed by authorities.
