QUETTA: A paramilitary troop was killed and four others injured after a woman suicide bomber hit a convoy of the Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a local administration official said on Monday.
The attack took place in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Monday afternoon, when the FC convoy was en route to security forces’ mess from the FC Fort on N-25 Quetta-Karachi highway, according to Kalat Deputy Commissioner Bilal Shabbir.
“A female suicide bomber struck the security forces convoy killing one soldier of the paramilitary Frontier Corps on the spot and injuring four others who were shifted to hospital,” DC Shabbir told Arab News.
“The female suicide bomber was standing outside the FC fort located at the highway and detonated herself when they were moving from the fort to the security forces’ mess in Kalat.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has previously used woman fighters in its ranks to carry out suicide attacks against Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals over the last few years.
In 2022, Shari Baloch, a woman suicide bomber linked to the BLA, carried out a suicide attack that ripped through a passenger van, killing three Chinese nationals and a Pakistani in the southern port city of Karachi, according to Pakistani authorities.
In Nov. last year, Pakistani officials arrested a woman among three suspects involved in a deadly suicide bombing, also claimed by the BLA, that killed two Chinese nationals and a Pakistani man outside the Karachi airport on Oct. 6, 2024.
The BLA is one of the most prominent separatist groups, which mainly operates in Balochistan but has targeted Chinese nationals in the neighboring Sindh province as well.
Balochistan has for years been the scene of an insurgency, where separatist groups have frequently attacked police and security forces as well as civilians and foreigners they see as “outsiders” in the resource-rich region, where China has been building a deep-sea port in Gwadar on the Arabian Sea and has made huge investments under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The separatists accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources. Successive Pakistani governments deny the allegations and say they have prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
Woman suicide bomber kills troop, injures four others in Balochistan attack
https://arab.news/by4f8
Woman suicide bomber kills troop, injures four others in Balochistan attack
- No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Baloch Liberation Army separatist group
- The BLA has previously used woman fighters to carry out suicide attacks against Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals in Pakistan
Pakistan saw 73% increase in combat-related deaths in 2025— think tank
- Pakistan reported 3,387 deaths thus year, among them 2,115 militants and 664 security forces personnel, says think tank
- Civilian deaths increased by 24% to 580 in 2025, compared to 468 in 2024, as Pakistan saw 1,063 militant attacks in 2025
ISLAMABAD: Combat-related deaths in Pakistan this year increased by 73%, with both security forces and militants suffering casualties in large numbers, a report published by an Islamabad-based think tank said on Sunday.
As per statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73% to 3,387, compared with 1,950 in 2024. These deaths included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees (combatants), the think tank said in a press release.
“Militants accounted for about 62% of total combat-related deaths, and their 2,115 fatalities represented the highest annual militant death toll since 2015, when 2,322 militants were killed,” PICSS said.
Compared to last year, militant deaths recorded a steep increase by 122% as the PICSS reported that 951 militants had been killed in 2024.
The think tank, however, said this year was also particularly bloody for Pakistani security forces. PICSS recorded 664 security personnel deaths in 2025, a 26% rise from 528 in 2024, and the highest annual figure since 2011, when 677 security forces personnel lost their lives.
Civilian deaths also increased by 24% to 580 in 2025, compared with 468 in 2024, marking the highest annual civilian toll since 2015, when 642 civilians were killed.
As per the PICSS report, at least 1,063 militant attacks took place in 2025, a 17% increase compared with 908 in 2024 and the highest annual total since 2014, when 1,609 militant attacks were recorded.
The report also noted a 53 percent increase in suicide attacks this year, with 26 such incidents reported in 2025 compared with 17 in 2024.
“PICSS noted an expanding trend in the use of small drones, including quadcopters, with 33 such incidents recorded during 2025, alongside increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles by security forces,” the report said.
The report noted an 83% rise in arrests of suspected militants, with 497 arrested in 2025 compared to 272 in 2024.
This 2025 figure is the highest annual total of suspected militants arrested since 2017, when 1,781 militants were either arrested or laid down their weapons.
“PICSS noted that most violence remained concentrated in Pashtun-majority districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the tribal districts (erstwhile FATA), and in Balochistan,” it said.
Pakistan has been grappling with a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both bordering Afghanistan, this year.
Islamabad blames Afghanistan for providing sanctuaries to militants it alleges use Afghan soil to carry out attacks against Pakistan. Kabul denies the charges.
