In a major blow to Pakistan’s military amid rising regional tensions, fourteen Pakistan Army personnel were killed when their convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Balochistan’s Kachhi district, according to a video released by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has claimed responsibility.
The deadly explosion, which reportedly destroyed the army vehicle, resulted in the deaths of Special Operations Commander Tariq Imran and Subedar Umar Farooq, among others. Pakistan Army has since launched a sanitisation operation to eliminate any remaining militants in the Mach area.
The BLA, which has waged a long-standing insurgency in the province, has a history of targeting security forces. In March, it hijacked the Jaffar Express, killing 21 civilians and four soldiers. Balochistan has faced continuous unrest for decades, with ethnic Baloch groups accusing Islamabad of resource exploitation and neglect.
The timing of the BLA’s latest assault is significant, coming just a day after India conducted major air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied territory, reportedly killing over 70 militants and operatives. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, responding to a separate terrorist attack in Pahalgam, vowed that India would deliver a “befitting reply,” signalling further escalation.
While no official link has been drawn between India’s strike and the BLA’s IED attack, the sequence of events has added pressure to Pakistan’s already strained internal security landscape. The situation along the Line of Control (LoC) remains tense, as the region watches closely for further developments.
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