“Around 40 to 50 armed terrorists attacked a border guard post in Kalat district, killing seven soldiers and injuring 15 others,” said a member of the local authorities on condition of anonymity. “The exchanges of fire lasted several hours,” he added. An official from the local security services confirmed this toll, adding that the injured had been “evacuated for treatment by air to Quetta”, the regional capital.
Jeeyand Baloch, spokesperson for the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), one of the main Baloch separatist groups, claimed responsibility for the attack without giving any further details. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced X as a “terrorist attack” and promised “immediate action against its perpetrators”.
Last Saturday, an explosion claimed by the BLA left 26 dead, including 14 soldiers, on a platform at Quetta station. The BLA had claimed to have targeted “a unit of the Pakistani army which was returning after training at the infantry school”.
The largest province in Pakistan, Balochistan is also the poorest province in Pakistan, despite its significant gas and mining resources, over which separatists claim control.
