Pakistan: Forty killed in Balochistan as gunmen launch deadly attacks

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Heavily armed Baloch gunmen killed at least 40 people in two separate attacks in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Monday, highlighting a surge in insurgent violence in the troubled region near the Afghan border.

In the first attack, 23 people from Punjab province were killed in Musakhel district after gunmen stopped their buses, checked their identities, and executed them. Musakhel Assistant Commissioner Najeeb Kakar reported that around 10 armed men blocked the inter-provincial highway in the Rarasham area, offloading passengers before shooting them. Several vehicles were also set ablaze.

Most of those killed were from southern Punjab, with some from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, indicating they were targeted based on their ethnic backgrounds, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Ayub Khoso.

In a second attack in Kalat, located 150 km south of Quetta, 11 people were killed, including five civilians and six security personnel. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks. These assaults coincided with the 18th death anniversary of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a prominent Baloch tribal leader killed in a military operation.

The BLA launched multiple attacks across Balochistan on the night of August 24 and 25 as part of what they called "Operation Heroof". Security forces responded quickly, launching a large-scale search operation in the affected areas. According to security sources, 12 terrorists have been killed in the ensuing operations.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attacks, expressing deep sorrow for the victims and vowing that the perpetrators would face justice. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti also condemned the attacks, pledging that the government would pursue the terrorists and ensure they face severe punishment.

In a separate incident, a railway bridge in Bolan's Dozan area was blown up by militants. Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least developed province, has seen a rise in attacks by separatist groups targeting Punjabis and Sindhis, as well as foreign energy companies accused of exploiting the region without fair profit sharing.

This violence comes just four months after a similar attack in April, where nine passengers were killed near Noshki. In October last year, six labourers from Punjab were shot dead in Turbat, Balochistan.