By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Two paramilitary soldiers and a police constable were killed in separate suicide attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan, officials said, as the country grapples with a steep rise in militant violence.
The attacks, which occurred on Sunday night and Monday, underscored the persistent threats from separatist insurgents and Islamist militants in the restive regions of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security forces have been targeted with increasing frequency. In the first incident, an attacker rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Nokundi, a city in Balochistan’s Chaghi district. The area is also home to Reko Diq, one of the world’s largest untapped copper and gold deposits.
A Balochistan government official said “reportedly three terrorists have been killed. Two soldiers have been martyred and the injured are not known.” The official said the attack unfolded around 8:20 pm on Sunday, with assailants opening indiscriminate fire on paramilitary forces after the initial blast. Multiple explosions were reported as Frontier Corps personnel returned fire and engaged the attackers.
The Balochistan Liberation Front, an ethnic Baloch separatist group, claimed responsibility for the assault. In a statement, the group said: “Fighters of SOB, a subsidiary organization of BLF, have launched a massive attack on the central compound for foreign staff and engineers associated with Reko Diq and Saindak in Nokundi.” The group also released a photograph of a female suicide bomber, claiming she had driven the vehicle that exploded at the entrance of the headquarters.
Balochistan has long been plagued by a separatist insurgency waged by ethnic Baloch militant groups, with the Balochistan Liberation Army among the most prominent, having intensified its operations in recent years. Islamabad has accused these groups of acting as proxies for Indian intelligence, labeling them Fitnah-ul-Hindustan, or “India’s mischief.” New Delhi has denied any involvement. The province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran, holds strategic importance because of its vast mineral resources and its position as a key transit hub for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Separatist militants have repeatedly targeted foreign nationals, especially Chinese workers on infrastructure projects like dams, accusing the Pakistani government of exploiting the region’s natural wealth while denying locals their fair share. Officials in Islamabad and the military have rejected these claims.
In the second attack, on Monday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, a suicide bomber targeted a police van, killing one officer and injuring five others. Lakki Marwat police spokesperson Shahid Marwat said the blast occurred near the Katto Khel stop. “The blast occurred near Katto Khel stop, with Police Constable Allauddin succumbing to his injuries on the spot while Assistant Sub Inspector Haq Nawaz and two other officers were rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention,” he said.
Marwat added that the police were working tirelessly to bring the culprits to justice and that a massive operation had been launched, with security forces determined to disrupt and dismantle militant networks in the province. Asif Hassan, spokesman for the Lakki Marwat district police officer, said Tajori police mobile unit had been the target. He said the bomber’s accomplice had escaped, prompting an ongoing search operation.
A statement from the Lakki Marwat police provided additional details, quoting District Police Officer Nazir Khan as saying that officers had received information from “credible sources” about the movement of a “suspicious” motorcyclist traveling from the Bittani subdivision toward the Bakhmal Ahmadzai area. The motorcyclist’s “potential target was a public gathering,” the statement quoted Khan as saying.
According to the statement, police in the area were alerted, and the Tajori unit set up checkpoints at Katta Khel, where they flagged down two suspicious motorcyclists. The suspects fled, leading to a chase. “During the chase, one of the motorcyclists opened fire on police and upon retaliatory action, he blew himself up.” It added that Khan had arrived at the site, where a search operation was underway. “The site has been cordoned off and investigators are collecting evidence.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the Lakki Marwat attack, but the province has experienced a surge in violence from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, since a fragile ceasefire with the government collapsed in November 2022. The group, which has conducted some of the deadliest assaults on law enforcement and civilians since 2007, seeks to impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister, Sohail Afridi, condemned the incident. “The sacrifices of police personnel will not go in vain,” he said. “The provincial government stands with the police,” he added, noting that maintaining law and order was the government’s top priority. “Such cowardly attacks cannot dampen our morale.”
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