Six people, including five security personnel and a customs official, were killed during an attack on a government facility in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on the night of Aug. 31, the country’s military reported. In separate operations across the province, security forces killed 21 other individuals.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing, issued a statement on Sept. 1 detailing the events. According to the ISPR, assailants conducted a “coordinated attack in an attempt to breach the Customs House” located in the Jiwani area of Gwadar district, near the Pakistan-Iran border.
The statement confirmed the deaths of five security personnel, including two officers, and one customs official during the engagement. The ISPR did not provide information on the number of attackers involved in the customs facility incident or if they sustained casualties. As of this report, no group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The same ISPR statement provided details on two other security actions in Balochistan. It said that intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were conducted in the Zhob and Sui districts of the province.
In the Zhob district operation, security forces engaged with a group, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals whom the ISPR described as terrorists. A similar operation in the Sui district resulted in 12 additional deaths. The military’s statement noted that these operations were part of ongoing efforts against militant groups active in the region.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has experienced long-running insurgencies and sectarian violence. Militant and separatist groups in the region have previously targeted Pakistani security forces, government installations, and infrastructure projects.
Following the events, government officials issued statements. Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar condemned the attack on the Customs House. In a statement released by his office, he paid tribute to the deceased security and customs personnel and affirmed the government’s “resolve to crush the menace of terrorism.”
