Pakistan Army Major Killed in BLA-Claimed Attack in Balochistan; Four Militants Killed

Islamabad (Terror Monitor) — A Pakistan Army major was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, while security forces killed four suspected militants during a separate intelligence-based operation in Kalat district, Pakistan’s military said on Monday.

The officer was identified as 34-year-old Major Wajahat Waheed, a resident of Lahore, who was leading a security forces contingent during clearance operations in the Shadi Kaur area of Pasni tehsil in Gwadar district when the explosion occurred on October 18.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a banned separatist militant organization, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said its fighters targeted a military convoy near Pasni with a remotely detonated explosive device and claimed that seven military personnel, including a major, were killed. However, the military’s public statement confirmed the death of Major Waheed and did not confirm the BLA’s higher casualty figure.

In a separate operation in Jattakabad, Kalat district, security forces killed four militants following an intense exchange of fire and recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wings.

According to the ISPR statement reported by Pakistani media on October 19, intelligence agencies had identified suspected militant hideouts in the Shadi Kaur area of Pasni, Gwadar district, and Jattakabad in Kalat district.

The military said the reported hideouts posed a threat to the local population, prompting security forces to launch operations aimed at clearing the areas and eliminating the suspected militants.

During clearance operations in Shadi Kaur, the lead contingent commanded by Major Waheed was struck by an IED.

The officer died in the explosion while leading his personnel, the military said.

The ISPR identified Major Waheed as a Lahore resident and said clearance and sanitization operations would continue to locate and eliminate any remaining militants in the area.

Four Militants Killed in Kalat Operation

In a separate engagement on October 18, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Jattakabad, Kalat district.

According to the military, troops targeted a suspected militant hideout and exchanged fire with those inside. Four militants were killed during the operation.

Security forces also recovered a substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition from the site, although the military statement did not provide a detailed inventory of the seized material.

The ISPR said the operations were intended to protect local residents and prevent suspected militant groups from using the area as a base for further attacks.

The military did not publicly identify the four people killed in the Kalat operation in the statement reported by state media.

BLA Claims Responsibility for Pasni Attack

The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed that its fighters carried out the IED attack against a Pakistani military convoy near Pasni.

According to a statement attributed to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch and reported by The Balochistan Post, the group’s Special Tactical Operations Squad targeted one of three vehicles travelling in the convoy in the Kabri area of Shadi Kaur.

The group said the explosion destroyed the targeted vehicle and killed seven military personnel, including Major Wajahat.

The claim could not be independently verified. The military’s public account confirmed that Major Waheed was killed in an IED explosion but did not corroborate the BLA’s claim that six additional personnel died in the attack.

The BLA is a separatist militant organization seeking independence for Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwestern province. The group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against Pakistani security forces and other targets in the region.

Its claims about casualties and battlefield outcomes require independent verification, particularly when they differ from official accounts.

President, Prime Minister Condemn Militancy

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised security forces for their operations in Kalat and Gwadar and expressed condolences over Major Waheed’s death, according to Pakistan’s state-run Associated Press of Pakistan and Radio Pakistan.

Both leaders reiterated the government’s commitment to combating terrorism and preventing militant groups and their alleged external supporters from destabilizing the country.

The statements came amid continued counterterrorism operations across Balochistan, where security forces have been targeting suspected militant hideouts in multiple districts.

Balochistan Faces Persistent Insurgent Violence

Balochistan has experienced a long-running separatist insurgency, with armed groups carrying out attacks against security personnel, government installations and infrastructure.

The province is strategically important because of its mineral resources, its coastline along the Arabian Sea and its role in regional trade and infrastructure projects.

Pakistan’s government accuses militant organizations operating in Balochistan of receiving foreign support. Such allegations have been disputed by the countries Pakistan has accused, and the military’s latest statement did not provide publicly verifiable evidence establishing external involvement in the specific incidents described.

The latest operations also follow other security actions in the province. Pakistani media reported that security forces killed eight suspected militants in separate intelligence-based operations in Quetta, Nushki and Khuzdar districts on October 18. Those operations were separate from the Kalat engagement and the IED attack in Gwadar.

The growing number of operations highlights the continuing security challenge facing authorities in the province.

Search Operations to Continue

The ISPR said security forces would continue clearance and sanitization operations in the affected areas to locate any remaining militants.

The military also reiterated that its counterterrorism campaign under the government-approved framework known as Azm-e-Istehkam would continue.

The deaths of Major Waheed and four militants bring renewed attention to the risks faced by security forces operating in Balochistan, where suspected militants have used explosive devices and armed attacks against military personnel.

While the military has confirmed the officer’s death and the killing of four militants in Kalat, the full circumstances of the Pasni attack—including the BLA’s claim of seven military fatalities—remain unverified.

The latest incidents underline the continuing confrontation between Pakistani security forces and separatist militants in Balochistan, as authorities pursue operations to dismantle suspected militant networks and prevent further attacks.