Balochistan: A series of coordinated attacks targeting vehicles involved in mineral transportation have been reported in Mastung and Chaghi, raising fresh concerns over the security of resource extraction operations in the province.
In Mastung, unidentified armed assailants attacked five vehicles transporting minerals. According to local sources, four of the vehicles were targeted near Balochistan Hotel, three of which were reportedly linked to the Saindak mining project, while the fourth was carrying minerals from the Padag area of Nushki to a steel mill. A fifth vehicle was also attacked near Rehman Hotel in the same district.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Chaghi, armed men intercepted and set fire to a truck loaded with marble near the area of Pishuk. Levies officials confirmed that the attackers forced the driver out of the vehicle before torching it. The truck was completely destroyed in the blaze, though no casualties were reported. The assailants managed to flee the scene.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the Chaghi and Mastung attack, recent assaults on mineral transport convoys in the region have frequently been claimed by Baloch militant separatist groups, who accuse the state and private companies of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources.
