Militant attacks in Pakistan's Balochistan kill 42 over three days
Pakistan’s military said a wave of attacks in the southwestern province of Balochistan killed 42 people between Monday and Wednesday , including 18 police officers abducted from a dam project in Ziarat district, 11 soldiers ambushed on a highway, and four civilians. A military spokesperson said security forces killed 54 fighters in follow-up operations, attributing the violence to the Pakistan Taliban and the Balochistan Liberation Army.
The toll is among the deadlier stretches in a long-running separatist campaign in the resource-rich province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. The scale and coordination — mass abduction of police alongside a highway ambush on troops — points to militants operating with growing reach against state targets, and signals continued instability along a border region central to Chinese-backed infrastructure investment.