Mastung Convoy Ambush: BLA Claims 45+ Soldiers Killed, Military Confirms 3

A Frontier Corps convoy came under a coordinated multi-point ambush on the N-25 highway between Quetta and Kalat in Mastung district, with a follow-up IED strike hitting a reinforcement team. The Balochistan Liberation Army's 'Fatah Squad' claimed responsibility, saying its fighters destroyed several military buses transporting personnel along the Quetta-Karachi Highway near Khadkucha and killed over 45 soldiers, with clashes ongoing when the group issued its statement. Pakistani authorities gave a starkly lower official toll of 3 security personnel killed and 29 injured (20 seriously), stating the area was secured and traffic on N-25 fully restored after mortar strikes on suspected escape routes. The wide gap between the BLA's claim and the official figure could not be independently verified; PM Shehbaz Sharif blamed India for facilitating the attack and later travelled to Quetta vowing to continue military operations.