On Saturday, November 16, a militant attack on a paramilitary checkpoint in the Kalat district of Balochistan, Pakistan, resulted in the deaths of seven troops and left 18 others injured, some critically, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The early-morning assault, claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), lasted several hours and targeted a checkpoint approximately 150 km south of Quetta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, which follows a recent escalation in violence by separatist insurgents in the region. The BLA has intensified its operations, including a suicide bombing last week that killed 27 people, including 19 soldiers. Balochistan, rich in minerals and resources, has been the center of a long-standing separatist movement seeking greater autonomy and control over local resources. The area is also strategically significant due to Gwadar Port, part of China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Saturday, November 16, a militant attack on a paramilitary checkpoint in the Kalat district of Balochistan, Pakistan, resulted in the deaths of seven troops and left 18 others injured, some critically, Reuters reported. The early-morning assault, claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), lasted several hours and targeted a checkpoint approximately 150 km south …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":114340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[928,6260],"class_list":["post-114339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan","tag-balochistan","tag-militant-attack"],"yoast_head":"\n