Pakistan: 18 Soldiers and 23 Militants Killed in Battle in Balochistan Province
At least 18 soldiers and 23 militants were killed during a gunfight in the Kalat area of Balochistan, according to the Joint Public Relations Directorate of the Armed Forces, the media wing of the Pakistani military.
According to a press statement: “On the night of January 31 and February 1, terrorists attempted to set up roadblocks in the Kalat area of Balochistan,” as reported by The Nation newspaper on Sunday.
The statement added: “Based on orders from hostile forces, this cowardly terrorist act aimed to disrupt the peaceful environment of Balochistan by primarily targeting innocent civilians.”
The statement further explained: “Security forces and law enforcement agencies were immediately mobilized, successfully thwarting the terrorists’ malicious plan, killing 23 terrorists and ensuring the safety of the local population.” The statement also noted: “During the operations, 18 soldiers were killed after fighting bravely.”
A Baloch separatist group, the “Baloch Liberation Army,” claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday, which, according to the military, resulted in the death of 18 border security personnel in the southwestern province of Pakistan on the border with Iran. The group confirmed the killing of “17 enemies” and the establishment of “roadblocks” in the Kalat region. The group has frequently targeted Pakistani security forces, which have been combating separatists in the region for decades.
On the night of Friday-Saturday, a vehicle carrying an “unarmed paramilitary group” near Mangoshar village came under fire from “70 to 80 armed attackers who were closing off the road,” according to a police official on Saturday, speaking anonymously. The official reported: “17 members of the group were killed, along with one border force member who came to their rescue.” Three others were seriously injured, while two survived.
The military confirmed the police toll, revealing that “terrorists attempted to close off roads in the Mangoshar area, intending to disrupt them and primarily target civilians.” The military added: “Security forces deployed to restore order, killing 12 terrorists.”
The separatist group, in its statement, said: “Several roads in Kalat are currently under the control of the Baloch Liberation Army, and we advise civilians to avoid traveling,” adding that they carried out “simultaneous attacks in different locations in Kalat.”
Ali Umarani, a local official in Mangoshar, told Agence France-Presse that “more than twenty terrorists first attacked a police station, then set fire to a bank and shot at a vehicle, resulting in two of its passengers being injured.” A military statement revealed that security forces killed a total of “23 terrorists in various operations” in the last 24 hours in Balochistan.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, despite having gas and mineral resources, with separatists demanding a local distribution of its revenues. The province has seen an increase in attacks in recent months. The Baloch Liberation Army also targets Punjabis, the largest ethnic group in Pakistan, who are seen as dominating the military’s ranks in its battle against separatists.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, saying that “security forces will continue their operations to eliminate the country’s enemies.”
In November, separatists claimed responsibility for a bombing at a major railway station in Quetta, which killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers.
In August, the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks that resulted in the deaths of 39 people, one of the highest tolls in the region. In 2024, over 1,600 people were killed in attacks, including 685 security personnel, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Security Research and Studies.
