Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility for two indiscriminate attacks on Pakistani security personnel in Balochistan that killed at least 14 soldiers on May 6, 2025. In the first, BLA's Special Tactical Operations Squad detonated a remote-controlled IED on a military convoy along the Mach sector of Bolan district near Shorkand and killed all 12 soldiers aboard, including Special Operations Commander Tariq Imran and Subedar Umar Farooq, instantly.
At the same time, on the same day, two other Pakistan Army Bomb Disposal Team members were martyred in an IED blast at Kulag Tigran Kech district. The BLA released a Mach attack video and warned that the operations like these would be continuing with increased frequency, terming the Pakistani forces as a "mercenary force" serving the interests of foreign powers.
The attacks serve to underscore rising insurgency in Balochistan, where separatists blame Islamabad for economic exploitation and political repression. India has been blamed by Pakistani authorities for backing the BLA, but both sides have refused to produce evidence and India and the BLA have declined to comment.
The attacks follow days of a new round of assaults on security personnel in the area, over 200 soldiers having been killed in Balochistan and adjacent provinces since the start of the year 2025.
The attacks also contribute to tensions in Pakistan's volatile south-western region, already taut following weeks of cross-border raids and military operations.
