QUETTA: At least six Pakistani soldiers, including a captain, were killed and scores of people injured in a wave of attacks against security forces in different districts of the southwestern Balochistan province.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence since last month after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced an end to a ceasefire with the government in November. Balochistan itself has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by various separatist groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad.

In an alarming development this week, the TTP said an armed separatist group led by Mazar Baloch had joined hands with the militant outfit.

On Sunday, the Pakistan army’s media wing, Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), confirmed separate attacks on its soldiers in the Zhob and Kohlu districts in Balochistan.

One soldier was killed and two others were injured in an exchange of fire with militants in Zhob district along the Afghanistan border, ISPR said.

“Based on credible intelligence, an operation has been initiated in Sambaza area of Zhob, Balochistan, for the last 96 hours to deny terrorists use of few suspected routes to move across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to sneak into [the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province] along the interprovincial boundary and target citizens and security forces,” the ISPR statement said.

“During the ensuing heavy exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed while sepoy Haq Nawaz embraced Shadat (martyrdom) and two other soldiers got injured.”

In another Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack on security forces, five army soldiers including an officer, Captain Fahad, were killed during an intelligence-based clearance operation in the Kahan area of district Kohlu.

“An IED exploded close to the leading party of the clearance operation team,” ISPR said in a separate statement. “Resultantly, Captain Fahad along with four other brave sons of soil Lance Naik Imtiaz, Sepoy Asghar, Sepoy Mehran and Sepoy Shamoon have embraced Shahadat.”

Separately, 12 people including women were injured in two separate hand grenade attacks on police in less than five hours in the provincial capital of Quetta.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Quetta Police Azfar Mehsar told Arab News one policeman and 11 civilians, including two women, received minor injuries in different hand grenade attacks in Quetta’s Sabzal Road and Satellite Town areas.

“In the first attack, two hand grenades were lobbed on the Shaheed Amir Muhammad Dasti Police Station. One exploded and the second was defused by the Bomb Disposal Team at Sabzal road,” Mehsar said. “In the second attack, unknown persons targeted a police security check-post with a hand grenade … at the Satellite Town areas.”

Provincial Home Minister Meer Zia Langove condemned the attacks on police in Quetta and directed health officials to ensure quality treatment for the injured people.

In another explosion, three civilians were injured in an IED attack in Hub, a town situated in Lasbela district near Pakistan's financial capital of Karachi.

"An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fitted inside a motorbike exploded near the Saddar Police Station in Hub city at 7pm PST, leaving three people injured,” Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Mehboob Gichki told Arab News.

There were attacks reported in Khuzdar and Turbat cities as well on Sunday evening but no casualty was reported.

No group has as yet claimed responsibility for the attacks in various cities of Balochistan.