Violence Escalates in Balochistan as Gun and Bomb Attacks Leave Deadly Toll

Mon Feb 02 2026 13:57:29 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Balochistan faces a surge in violence with recent attacks claiming the lives of 31 civilians and 17 security personnel amidst ongoing conflicts involving the Balochistan Liberation Army.

A series of coordinated gun and bomb attacks in Balochistan, Pakistan, have resulted in the deaths of 31 civilians and 17 security personnel. The Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility, stating they aim to retaliate against perceived government exploitation of local resources. The violence marks a significant escalation in the region's long-standing ethnic insurgency.

A series of gun and bomb attacks across Pakistan's south-western Balochistan province have killed 31 civilians and 17 security service personnel, the region's Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti says.

Security forces responding to the violence killed at least 145 attackers during a 40-hour gun battle, he said. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) rebel group had earlier said it was behind the attacks, claiming dozens of soldiers were killed.

It marks an escalation of violence in the impoverished but resource-rich province, where Pakistan's government has been battling an ethnic insurgency for decades.

Pakistan accused India of supporting the BLA. Delhi has repeatedly denied such accusations.

Grenade and gun attacks in the provincial capital Quetta and cities and towns across the province targeted hospitals, schools, banks and markets, Pakistan's junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry said.

In each case, the attackers came in dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops, he said, adding that the attackers had used civilians as human shields.

Armed attackers also opened fire at security installations, attempted to carry out suicide bombings and briefly blocked roads in urban areas.

Some key administrative buildings in Quetta and nearby roads were reported to have been sealed off during the day. Mobile phone services were jammed, and regional train services were suspended.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later praised the military, pledging to continue the war against terrorism until its complete eradication.

The BLA said it had launched a coordinated operation dubbed Herof, or black storm against security forces, and claimed to have killed 84 members of the security forces and kidnapped a further 18. The claim has not been independently verified and the Pakistani military has not commented.

The BLA accuses Pakistan's federal government of exploiting the rich mineral resources of its largest province without the local population benefiting.

Local activists also blame Pakistani security forces for enforced disappearances, which Islamabad denies.

Balochistan covers nearly 44% of the country's total land, sharing a volatile border with Iran and Afghanistan and covering part of the Arabian Sea coastline. It is home to about 5% of the country's more than 240 million people.

The province is also the richest in terms of natural resources, including gas and minerals.

The region derives its name from the Baloch tribe, which is the largest ethnic group there. Resistance against the Pakistani government and an insurgency advocating for an independent state for the Baloch people began in 1948, after Pakistan gained independence from the British Empire.