Separatist militants launched a series of coordinated attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing at least 39 people in what officials described on Monday as the most widespread assault by ethnic insurgents in years.
The deadliest of the attacks occurred on a major highway, where militants targeted vehicles, including buses and goods trucks, leaving at least 23 people dead. Ten vehicles were set ablaze, according to officials.
On Sunday night, armed men blocked the highway, forced passengers off their vehicles, and shot them after checking their identity cards, Senior Superintendent of Police Ayub Achakzai told Reuters.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement emailed to journalists. The group also claimed additional assaults, including one on a major paramilitary base, though Pakistani authorities have yet to confirm these incidents.
