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125 Reported Dead In The Deadliest Day of Militancy in Balochistan
Coordinated militant attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan province killed 33 people, while security forces responded by killing 92 insurgents in what officials called the deadliest single day for militants in decades.
Army soldiers gather at the site, following millitant attacks, in Quetta, Pakistan, January 31, 2026
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that a wave of coordinated suicide and gun attacks by militants across the restive southwestern province of Balochistan killed at least 33 people, including civilians and security personnel, while security forces responding to the violence killed 92 attackers in what analysts described as the deadliest single day for militants in decades.
According to the military, the attacks targeted civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations across the province. Eighteen civilians and 15 members of the security forces were killed, while 92 insurgents died during counterterrorism operations launched in response to the violence. Authorities said a total of at least 133 militants have been killed across Balochistan over the past 48 hours, including those killed on Saturday.
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Both the military and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi alleged that the attackers had the backing of India. There was no immediate response from New Delhi, which has denied similar accusations in the past.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the suicide and gun attacks. During the assaults, some banks were robbed, a police station was attacked, and dozens of vehicles were torched. The group also released videos showing female fighters taking part in the attacks, which analysts described as a propaganda effort to highlight the role of women within the militant organization.
Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said most of the attacks were foiled by security forces. The violence came a day after the military announced that security forces had raided two militant hideouts earlier in the week, killing 41 insurgents in separate gunbattles.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on social media platform X that security forces were actively pursuing the remaining insurgents. He stated that at least 700 insurgents have been killed by security forces in the province over the past year. Earlier on Saturday, authorities said militants had destroyed rail tracks, prompting Pakistan Railways to suspend train services from Balochistan to other parts of the country.
Provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar said the attacks began almost simultaneously across the province. He confirmed that two police officers were killed in a grenade attack on a police vehicle in Quetta, the provincial capital, and that the government declared an emergency at all hospitals to deal with casualties.
In Mastung district, dozens of insurgents attacked a prison, freeing more than 30 inmates, according to police. In another incident, militants attempted to storm the provincial headquarters of paramilitary forces in Nushki district, but the attack was repelled. Insurgents also hurled grenades at the office of a government administrator in Dalbandin district, though a swift response by security forces forced them to flee.
Authorities said attacks on security posts in Balincha, Tump and Kharan districts were thwarted. In Pasni and Gwadar, militants attempted to abduct passengers traveling on buses along highways, but those attempts were also foiled.
The BLA is banned in Pakistan and designated a terrorist organization by the United States. The group has carried out numerous attacks in recent years. Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of backing Baloch separatists, an allegation New Delhi denies. Islamabad has also said that Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups are using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a claim rejected by Kabul.
Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, told The Associated Press that militants linked to the BLA or other groups “had never before been killed in such a large number in a single day” in Balochistan.
Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have intensified attacks in recent months. The TTP is a separate group but is allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021.
Balochistan has long been the center of an insurgency by separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad.
Editor’s Note:
This report is based on statements from Pakistan’s military, provincial authorities, and security officials regarding coordinated militant attacks in Balochistan. Details reflect official accounts at the time of reporting, including casualty figures, claims of responsibility, and allegations of external backing, which remain contested by those accused.
