One paramilitary soldier killed, another injured in southwest Pakistan

In this photo, shared by Pakistani journalist ZirNoor Baloch on social media platform X, security personnel walk past targeted vehicles in Quetta on July 13, 2024. (Photo courtesy: X/@ZirNoor_Baluch)

• The incident was caused by an IED blast when a Frontier Corps vehicle was escorting a water tanker
• No group has claimed responsibility, though Baloch separatists have targeted soldiers in the past

QUETTA: A paramilitary soldier was killed and another injured in an explosion caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) on Saturday in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, which has been prone to insurgent violence for decades.
The blast targeted a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle escorting a water tanker in the Akhtarabad neighborhood near the western bypass area of Quetta, the provincial capital, according to police.
Balochistan, sharing a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan, has witnessed a decades-long insurgency with separatists accusing successive governments of unfairly exploiting the mineral-rich region’s resources, a claim denied by the state.
While Baloch separatist armed groups typically operate independently, recent reports suggest increasing cooperation between these groups and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“A Frontier Corps vehicle was passing through Akhtarabad when there was an IED blast in the western bypass area,” Rashid Ali, Station House Officer of Shalkot Police, told Arab News. “One FC soldier was killed while another received minor injuries.”
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, though Pakistani security forces have been the main target of separatists and other militant groups in the province. These armed factions have also launched attacks against Chinese nationals working on energy and infrastructure development projects.
“The FC vehicle was damaged in the blast and the injured soldier was shifted to a hospital for treatment,” the police official said, adding: “Law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area and are gathering evidence from the crime scene.”
Meer Zia Ullah Langau, Balochistan’s Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs, condemned the attack and directed authorities to bolster security arrangements in the area.
In recent months, Baloch separatist groups have intensified their attacks against security forces and ethnic Punjabi residents who often travel to the province for daily wages.
On June 21, the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) abducted seven Punjabi tourists, and last week, the group announced plans to “punish” them after the government refused to negotiate for the release of incarcerated BLA fighters.