Seven paramilitary soldiers were killed and eighteen others wounded in a militant attack on a checkpoint in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Saturday.

The pre-dawn assault took place in the Kalat district, located about 150 kilometers south of Quetta, the provincial capital. The attack lasted several hours, and several of the injured soldiers are reported to be in critical condition.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group seeking independence for Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the assault. The BLA has intensified its operations in recent weeks, with the attack marking the latest in a series of violent incidents in the region.

The BLA, which has long opposed the Pakistani government’s control over Balochistan and its exploitation of the region's natural resources, previously claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a railway station last week that killed 27 people, including 19 soldiers. The group has also been critical of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major infrastructure project, particularly after a suicide bombing near Karachi International Airport last month that targeted Chinese engineers, killing two.

Balochistan, a strategically important region that borders Afghanistan and Iran, has been plagued by unrest for decades, as separatist groups demand greater autonomy and a fairer distribution of resources. Despite ongoing security efforts, attacks on security forces, civilians, and foreign nationals working on development projects continue to destabilize the region. The recent spike in violence underscores the challenges Pakistan faces in maintaining control over the region and addressing local grievances. (ILKHA)