Deadliest Day of Violence in Baluchistan: Gunmen Kill 31 in Multiple Attacks, Security Forces Respond

Security personnel stand near charred vehicles at the site of an attack by gunmen on the national highway in Musakhail district, in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, Aug. 26, 2024. At least 23 people were gunned down in the attack, officials said.

In one of the bloodiest days of violence in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province, at least 31 people were killed in two separate attacks on Monday, with security forces later killing 12 insurgents in response, officials said.

The first and deadliest attack occurred in the Musakhail district, where gunmen stopped buses and trucks, forcibly identifying and executing 23 people. The attackers then set fire to at least 10 vehicles before fleeing, according to senior police official Ayub Achakzai. In another attack in Qalat district, gunmen killed nine people, including four police officers and five passersby.

People look at burnt vehicles torched by gunmen after killing passengers at a highway in Musakhail, Baluchistan, Pakistan, Monday, August 26, 2024

The violence didn't stop there. Insurgents also blew up a railway track in Bolan, attacked a police station in Mastung, and set vehicles ablaze in Gwadar. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in these incidents.

The attacks came shortly after Pakistani authorities reported two deadly bus accidents on Sunday, which claimed the lives of at least 35 people. The first accident, involving a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Iraq, occurred in Baluchistan, killing 12 and injuring dozens more. The second crash took place in Punjab province. Authorities have not suggested any criminal activity behind these accidents.

Baluchistan has long been the epicenter of a separatist insurgency, with various groups demanding independence from Islamabad. Despite government claims that the insurgency has been quelled, violence continues to plague the region.

Security personnel stand guard near a charred vehicle at the site of an attack by gunmen on the national highway in Musakhail district, in Pakistan's Balochistan province, Aug. 26, 2024.

The Musakhail massacre occurred just hours after the Baluch Liberation Army (BLA), an outlawed separatist group, warned civilians to avoid highways as they launched attacks on security forces. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's killings, the BLA issued a statement claiming it had inflicted heavy losses on security forces in other parts of the province, though they often exaggerate their claims.

The insurgents have a history of targeting non-Baluch people, particularly those from the neighboring Punjab province. Many recent victims have been from Punjab, fueling tensions between the regions.

Uzma Bukhari, a spokesperson for the Punjab provincial government, condemned the killings, calling them "a matter of grave concern" and urging the Baluchistan government to intensify efforts to eliminate BLA terrorists.

Volunteers and relatives load the body of a passenger killed by gunmen into an ambulance

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that security forces responded to Monday's attacks by killing 12 insurgents. He vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice, stating, "Terrorists and their facilitators will have no place to hide."

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Interior Minister Naqvi all condemned the Musakhail attack as "barbaric," promising swift action against the perpetrators.

This latest wave of violence follows several other deadly incidents in Baluchistan. In May, gunmen killed seven barbers in Gwadar, while in April, separatists killed nine people after abducting them from a bus on a highway in the province.

Relatives gather around the body of a passenger killed by gunmen at a highway in Musakhail, Baluchistan, Pakistan, Monday, August 26, 2024

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst, noted that these attacks appear to be an effort by separatists to economically weaken Baluchistan and, by extension, Pakistan. "The weakening of Baluchistan means the weakening of Pakistan," he said, adding that insurgent violence could jeopardize ongoing development projects in the province.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also have a presence in Baluchistan and are closely allied with the BLA. In a separate incident on Monday, a roadside bomb killed four people and injured 12 others in North Waziristan, a district in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The TTP, a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, was responsible for this attack.

The continued violence underscores the persistent instability in Baluchistan, where separatist and extremist groups continue to challenge the authority of the central government, posing a significant threat to the region's security and development.