Baloch insurgents kill 7 Pakistan troops

Balochistan province, Pakistan

Pakistani authorities reported Saturday that seven soldiers and six insurgents were killed in fierce clashes in the troubled southwestern Balochistan. The predawn violence erupted when the insurgents assaulted a security post in Kalat, a mountainous district in the sparsely populated province, according to a late-night Pakistan military statement. It stated that the clashes also injured four assailants but shared no further details. Multiple area security officials reported that at least 18 soldiers were also injured and admitted to hospitals, where some were said to be in critical condition. An outlawed militant group known as the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. In a statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the "terrorist" attack and "honored the martyred soldiers," his office said in Islamabad. Balochistan, the largest Pakistani province renowned for its abundant natural resources, has lately experienced a spike in deadly insurgent attacks. The BLA took credit for a suicide bombing last week that targeted a unit of Pakistani troops at the railway station in Quetta, the provincial capital. The powerful blast resulted in the deaths of 27 soldiers and injured many others as they were preparing to depart for a northwestern destination after completing a training session. BLA, listed as a global terrorist organization by the United States, also claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing that killed two Chinese engineers in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi last month. The insurgent group, along with several allies, has been waging deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces for years, saying they are fighting for the independence of the province, which shares the country's border with Afghanistan and Iran. Balochistan is home to the China-built and operated strategic Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea, which is at the heart of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Both countries hail CPEC as a pivotal component of Beijing's global Belt and Road Initiative. The bilateral project has brought more than $25 billion in Chinese investments over the past decade, building Pakistani roads, power plants, and trade routes to enable China's access to international markets for its landlocked western regions through the Gwadar port. Islamabad and Beijing condemn Baloch insurgents, saying their violent campaign is aimed at disrupting development in impoverished Balochistan and Pakistan at large.