August M
For three days, a small desert town in southwest Pakistan became the focal point of an insurgent offensive that spread across the province, leaving dozens dead and prompting security forces to deploy helicopters and drones as they sought to reassert control.
The clashes highlighted the scale of the security challenge facing authorities in Balochistan, a volatile and impoverished region that has long struggled with separatist violence, according to security and police accounts reported by Reuters.
Siege in Nushki
The most intense fighting centred on Nushki, a town of about 50,000 people, where separatist fighters overran a police station and other security facilities, forcing residents to remain indoors as gunfire echoed through the streets.
Seven police officers were killed before security forces regained control late on Monday, ending a standoff that lasted three days, police said. Operations against militants are continuing in nearby districts.
“More troops were sent to Nushki,” said one security official. “Helicopters and drones were used against the militants.” Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.
Violence across the province
The confrontation in Nushki formed part of a wider wave of coordinated attacks carried out across Balochistan over the weekend, security officials said.
Authorities put the overall death toll at 58, including more than 22 members of the security forces and 36 civilians. Security officials also said nearly 200 militants were killed during clashes across the province.
In Quetta, the fortified provincial capital, explosions and gunfire were reported in neighbourhoods close to government buildings.
“I thought the roof and walls of my house were going to blow up,” said Robina Ali, a housewife living near the main administrative complex.
Separatist insurgency
The attacks were claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the strongest of several separatist groups operating in the region. The group said on Tuesday it had killed 280 soldiers during an operation it called “Herof”, Black Storm, but provided no evidence to support the claim.
Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and is rich in mineral resources, yet remains Pakistan’s poorest province. It is also central to Chinese-backed infrastructure projects, including the Gwadar deepwater port.
The region has faced a decades-long insurgency by ethnic Baloch groups seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of local resources. Pakistan’s interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sources: Reuters
