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A terrorist attack in Pakistan has killed at least 38 people in three separate attacks.
First attack: Reports from the ground indicate that gunmen ambushed vehicles in the Musakhail district, forcibly removing passengers and killing 23 people. According to eyewitnesses, the victims were traveling on a road when they were intercepted, blocked, and executed on the spot. The attackers then set fire to at least ten cars before fleeing the scene.
Other Attacks: In another attack in Baluchistan’s Qalat district, gunmen killed at least nine people, including four police officers and five civilians. In addition, six additional bodies were found in Bolan, where the gunmen destroyed a railway used to transport natural resources from the region.
Who did this?: The attackers are suspected to be part of the ongoing separatist insurgency in Baluchistan, with Pakistani officials blaming the attack on the “Baluch Liberation Army” (BLA), a group known for violent attacks in the region. The BLA claims to be “fighting for the independence of Baluchistan,” claiming that the central government is exploiting the region’s resources without fair compensation to its people. Despite previous warnings from the BLA about imminent attacks, they have not claimed responsibility for the latest assaults.
What Pakistan is saying: Pakistani authorities, including the President and Prime Minister, condemned the attacks as “barbaric” and vowed to bring the attackers to justice. The military also confirmed that 14 security personnel were killed in clashes and confirmed that at least 21 attackers were killed. In a statement, the military said, “Sanitization operations are being conducted and the instigators, perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of these heinous and cowardly acts, targeting innocent civilians, will be brought to justice.”
