Insurgents Kill 18 Abducted Police and 11 Soldiers in Pakistan Attacks

Insurgents killed 18 abducted police officers and 11 soldiers in separate attacks in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday. The military reported the deaths at a televised news conference, marking the latest escalation in Balochistan province. The 18 officers had been held since late Monday, when dozens of militants attacked a police post in Ziarat district, killing nine other officers.

The attackers belonged to the group the government calls “Fitna al-Khawarij,” which it identifies as the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army. Pakistan alleges the BLA receives backing from India, a claim India denies. In a separate incident the same day, insurgents ambushed a military vehicle on a highway in Balochistan, killing the 11 soldiers.

Insurgents also killed four civilians in an attack on the outskirts of Quetta earlier in the week. Three major attacks have occurred across the province since Monday. The death toll from attacks since Monday reached 42 people, most of them soldiers and police officers.

Security forces killed 54 insurgents in multiple operations during the same period, military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said. Chaudhry stated that many Afghans were behind recent attacks across Pakistan.

“We will chase you, we will hurt you,” he said. ” The Pakistani Taliban maintains a strong presence in Balochistan alongside the BLA. The province has long been the scene of a separatist insurgency.