Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, with frequent attacks on security forces, foreign nationals and non-locals in the mineral-rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. The military's media wing said in a statement that attacks had taken place in multiple locations including the provincial capital Quetta and Gwadar. A senior official in Quetta told AFP that militants had abducted a deputy district commissioner. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most active militant separatist group in the province, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement sent to AFP. In August 2024, militants blew up bridges, stormed hotels and targeted security installations in assaults across the province that killed dozens.
