BLA Gunmen Kill 11 in Highway Ambush in Pakistan

Eleven people were killed and four others wounded in an attack by gunmen in Balochistan, Pakistan, officials confirmed on Saturday. The attack occurred on Friday evening around 7 pm local time (1400 GMT) when militants, displaying flags of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), set up a roadblock on a highway in the Nushki district.

According to district sources, the assailants stopped vehicles passing by, including a bus traveling from Quetta to Iran’s Taftan. They forcibly removed nine passengers and executed them in nearby hills. The victims, all from various cities in Punjab province, were apparently selected after the BLA fighters checked their passports.

In a separate but related incident, the terrorists shot at another vehicle and a motorbike whose occupants refused to stop, resulting in two additional deaths and four injuries.

The roadblock continued until about 8:30 pm local time, ending after an exchange of gunfire with security forces, who subsequently launched a search operation in the area.

This kind of snap-checking by members of armed groups has reportedly occurred multiple times, often following major holidays such as Eid al-Fitr, when many laborers return to Balochistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. He promised swift justice for the attackers and their accomplices, ensuring they would face “real punishment.”