A series of deadly attacks rocked Pakistan on Wednesday, claiming the lives of at least 10 people, including security personnel and civilians, in a renewed surge of violence concentrated in the restive provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which both border Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi confirmed that armed militants targeted a vehicle carrying Border Guards in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers and one driver. The ambush reportedly took place in an area known for insurgent activity near the Afghan border.

Later the same day, an attack on a private vehicle in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led to the deaths of three people, including a police inspector. Local security sources said unidentified assailants opened fire on the vehicle before fleeing the scene.

Meanwhile, in the southwestern Mastung district of Balochistan, an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a convoy of Pakistani security forces, killing three soldiers, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

In response, the army launched a counterterrorism operation, during which four militants were neutralized. The identities and group affiliations of the attackers have not yet been publicly confirmed.

Both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have seen a sharp rise in militant attacks in recent months, most of them claimed or attributed to ethno-nationalist groups.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, have intensified attacks on security forces. Islamabad accuses the TTP of operating from safe havens in neighboring Afghanistan, an allegation that Kabul firmly denies.

In Balochistan, responsibility for many attacks is attributed to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group demanding independence for the Baloch people and the secession of Balochistan from Pakistan. The group has targeted security forces, infrastructure, and foreign investments in the mineral-rich province.

The escalation of violence has renewed concerns about the fragile security situation along Pakistan’s western border, especially in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Analysts warn that increasingly coordinated attacks by separatist and militant groups could destabilize not only these regions but also undermine national cohesion.

The Pakistani military has vowed to intensify counterinsurgency operations in both provinces and has called on regional and international partners to pressure the Afghan Taliban government to crack down on cross-border militancy.

The recent string of attacks underscores the resilience and coordination of insurgent networks, even as Pakistan ramps up efforts to secure its borders and pacify long-troubled regions. (ILKHA)