Pakistani separatist militants claimed responsibility on Saturday for an attack on a highway in the southwestern province of Balochistan, which left 18 troops killed and three others seriously wounded.

According to a police official speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a vehicle transporting unarmed border troops "came under gunfire from 70 to 80 armed assailants who had blocked the road."

The official stated that 17 troops were killed in the attack, along with another soldier who attempted to assist them. The overnight assault occurred on Friday near Mangochar, a city close to the Afghan border.

The military reported that 18 paramilitary personnel were killed as they confronted militants attempting to establish roadblocks, adding that 12 attackers were also killed in the exchange.

"On the behest of inimical and hostile forces, this cowardly act of terrorism was aimed at disrupting the peaceful environment of Balochistan by targeting mainly the innocent civilians," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated.

The ISPR vowed that the "perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of this heinous and cowardly act, will be brought to justice."

In a statement, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed to have killed 17 troops and carried out multiple "operations".

Attacks in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, have intensified in recent months, often targeting security forces.  

The BLA frequently claims responsibility for deadly assaults against security personnel and non-Baloch Pakistanis, particularly Punjabis residing in the region.  

The group has also targeted foreign-financed energy projects—primarily those backed by China—accusing external entities of exploiting the resource-rich province while excluding its residents, making it Pakistan’s poorest region.  

In November, the BLA claimed responsibility for a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station that killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers.  

The group also took credit for coordinated attacks by dozens of assailants in August, which resulted in at least 39 deaths—one of the deadliest incidents in the region.

Violence has surged in Pakistan’s border areas since the Afghan Taliban regained power in Kabul in 2021.

Pakistan has accused the Taliban government of failing to crack down on militants launching attacks from Afghan territory—a claim the Taliban denies.

According to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies, more than 1,600 people were killed in militant attacks in 2024, making it the deadliest year in nearly a decade. Among the fatalities were 685 civilian and military security personnel.

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