Latest news with #Kachhi
Arab News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to deepen anti-narcotics cooperation amid growing drug seizures
Seven soldiers killed as separatists attack security vehicle in southwest Pakistan KARACHI: The Pakistan army said on Tuesday seven soldiers were killed after militants attacked a security vehicle in the southwestern Balochistan province, where the military is fighting an intensifying separatist insurgency. The army said the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has targeted the vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Mach in Kachhi District. 'Resultantly, seven brave sons of soil embraced shahadat [martyrdom],' a statement from the army said. The military accused the BLA, the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in Balochistan, of being a proxy of India. 'Nefarious designs of India and its proxies operating on Pakistani soil will be defeated by the valiant security forces, law enforcement agencies and the brave nation of Pakistan,' the military statement said. The latest attack is the worst since March when the BLA carried out a train hijacking that resulted in the deaths of 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers. At least 33 insurgents were also killed. In what was previously a low-level insurgency, the militants have in recent months stepped up their activities using new tactics to inflict high death and injury tolls and target Pakistan's military. It has also targeted Chinese interests. The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province located in Pakistan's southwest and bordering Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the federal government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan's rich gas and mineral resources. Balochistan's mountainous border region serves as a safe haven and training ground for the Baloch and other insurgents. The BLA often targets infrastructure and security forces in Balochistan, but has also truck in other areas — most notably the southern port city of Karachi. The insurgents target Pakistan's army and Chinese interests, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province. Militants have killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing's consulate in Karachi. Balochistan is an important part of China's $65 billion investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a wing of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative. It is home to key mining projects, including Reko Diq, run by mining giant Barrick Gold ( and believed to be one of the world's largest gold and copper mines. China also operates a gold and copper mine in the province. The decades-old insurgency has continued to keep the province of some 15 million people unstable and created security concerns around Pakistan's plans to access untapped resources. It is Pakistan's largest province by area, but smallest by population. Balochistan also has a long Arabian Sea coastline, not far from the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane. Islamabad accuses India and Afghanistan of backing the militants to damage Pakistan's relations with China, a charge both countries deny. With inputs from Reuters
Associated Press
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Roadside bomb targeting security vehicle kills 7 soldiers in southwest Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A powerful roadside bomb struck a security vehicle in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing seven soldiers, the military said, in a sign of increasing violence in the region . The attack occurred in the Kachhi district of Balochistan province, the military said in a statement. It blamed the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army for the bombing, describing the group as a proxy of India without backing up the claim with any evidence. It said a clearance operation was underway and 'the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act will be brought to justice.' There was no immediate comment from New Delhi or the BLA, which often targets security forces and civilians and foreigners in Balochistan and elsewhere. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate statements, denounced the attack and praised security forces for sacrificing their lives in the war against extremism. The latest attack came less than two months after a deadly assault by the BLA on a passenger train in Balochistan that killed 31 people, most of them soldiers. Balochistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency, with several separatist groups carrying out attacks primarily targeting security forces. The insurgents demand independence from the central government. The Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group also have a presence in the province.
Arab News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan envoy stresses continued engagement with Afghanistan to secure border with India
Seven soldiers killed as separatists attack security vehicle in southwest Pakistan KARACHI: The Pakistan army said on Tuesday seven soldiers were killed after militants attacked a security vehicle in the southwestern Balochistan province, where the military is fighting an intensifying separatist insurgency. The army said the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has targeted the vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Mach in Kachhi District. 'Resultantly, seven brave sons of soil embraced shahadat [martyrdom],' a statement from the army said. The military accused the BLA, the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in Balochistan, of being a proxy of India. 'Nefarious designs of India and its proxies operating on Pakistani soil will be defeated by the valiant security forces, law enforcement agencies and the brave nation of Pakistan,' the military statement said. The latest attack is the worst since March when the BLA carried out a train hijacking that resulted in the deaths of 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers. At least 33 insurgents were also killed. In what was previously a low-level insurgency, the militants have in recent months stepped up their activities using new tactics to inflict high death and injury tolls and target Pakistan's military. It has also targeted Chinese interests. The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province located in Pakistan's southwest and bordering Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the federal government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan's rich gas and mineral resources. Balochistan's mountainous border region serves as a safe haven and training ground for the Baloch and other insurgents. The BLA often targets infrastructure and security forces in Balochistan, but has also truck in other areas — most notably the southern port city of Karachi. The insurgents target Pakistan's army and Chinese interests, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province. Militants have killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing's consulate in Karachi. Balochistan is an important part of China's $65 billion investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a wing of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative. It is home to key mining projects, including Reko Diq, run by mining giant Barrick Gold ( and believed to be one of the world's largest gold and copper mines. China also operates a gold and copper mine in the province. The decades-old insurgency has continued to keep the province of some 15 million people unstable and created security concerns around Pakistan's plans to access untapped resources. It is Pakistan's largest province by area, but smallest by population. Balochistan also has a long Arabian Sea coastline, not far from the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane. Islamabad accuses India and Afghanistan of backing the militants to damage Pakistan's relations with China, a charge both countries deny. With inputs from Reuters
Arab News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Seven soldiers killed as separatists attack security vehicle in southwest Pakistan
KARACHI: The Pakistan army said on Tuesday seven soldiers were killed after militants attacked a security vehicle in the southwestern Balochistan province, where the military is fighting an intensifying separatist insurgency. The army said the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has targeted the vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Mach in Kachhi District. 'Resultantly, seven brave sons of soil embraced shahadat [martyrdom],' a statement from the army said. The military accused the BLA, the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in Balochistan, of being a proxy of India. 'Nefarious designs of India and its proxies operating on Pakistani soil will be defeated by the valiant security forces, law enforcement agencies and the brave nation of Pakistan,' the military statement said. The latest attack is the worst since March when the BLA carried out a train hijacking that resulted in the deaths of 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers. At least 33 insurgents were also killed. In what was previously a low-level insurgency, the militants have in recent months stepped up their activities using new tactics to inflict high death and injury tolls and target Pakistan's military. It has also targeted Chinese interests. The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province located in Pakistan's southwest and bordering Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the federal government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan's rich gas and mineral resources. Balochistan's mountainous border region serves as a safe haven and training ground for the Baloch and other insurgents. The BLA often targets infrastructure and security forces in Balochistan, but has also truck in other areas — most notably the southern port city of Karachi. The insurgents target Pakistan's army and Chinese interests, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province. Militants have killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing's consulate in Karachi. Balochistan is an important part of China's $65 billion investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a wing of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative. It is home to key mining projects, including Reko Diq, run by mining giant Barrick Gold ( and believed to be one of the world's largest gold and copper mines. China also operates a gold and copper mine in the province. The decades-old insurgency has continued to keep the province of some 15 million people unstable and created security concerns around Pakistan's plans to access untapped resources. It is Pakistan's largest province by area, but smallest by population. Balochistan also has a long Arabian Sea coastline, not far from the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane. Islamabad accuses India and Afghanistan of backing the militants to damage Pakistan's relations with China, a charge both countries deny. With inputs from Reuters
