00:00Pakistani officials say coordinated attacks hit the country's Balochistan province,
00:05killing at least 10 security officials.
00:07Authorities also said that 37 militants were killed.
00:11Ethnic Baloch separatists claimed responsibility.
00:13Mobile phone services have been jammed and traffic disrupted in affected districts.
00:18Train services have been disrupted.
00:20Locals have been reacting.
00:24Since morning there have been explosions, one after another.
00:28When we try to go to the hospital, the police point guns at us and say go back, otherwise they'll kill us.
00:35The situation in Kedah is very bad and panic and fear have spread throughout the city.
00:41There are intermittent sounds of firing and explosions happening all over the place.
00:46Well, we do know.
00:47Balochistan is a mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
00:52And for decades, Pakistan has been battling different separatist insurgents groups there.
00:58Let's speak to our correspondent, Shazzeb Walla, joining us on the line from Karachi.
01:02Hello to you, Shazzeb.
01:04First of all, what more do we know about this Saturday's attacks?
01:07Well, currently in multiple areas of Balochistan province, a clearance operation is being carried out by security forces.
01:17The security sources in the country are claiming that 58 militants have been killed in skirmishes between the security forces and militants since the morning.
01:26What we also know so far is that more than 10 security officials have also died.
01:31The chief minister of Balochistan province in a press conference just hours ago said that multiple coordinated attacks carried out since morning by Baloch, militant groups have been foiled.
01:44I have been talking to locals in Kuwaita and they have told us that the situation in the provincial capital still remains quite tense with multiple roads blocked.
01:54There is a heavy deployment of paramilitary in the city.
01:57There is constant sounds of ambulances which can be heard.
02:01As you said, internet and train services in most of the province have been suspended.
02:07The coordinated attacks today started early in the morning with militants attacking almost 12 different locations in the province,
02:14including the provincial capital of Kuwaita, other important cities like Norski, Pasni and the coastal district of Gawadar.
02:22We have seen images on social media where we can see militants coming out on major highways, attacking police stations, entering government buildings, hospitals, looting banks and even taking refuge in private in a private school building in Kuwaita.
02:38There are even reports of local officials being taken hostage.
02:41Some local officials being taken hostage in some areas of the province.
02:45We talked with one local from Hazal Ganji area of Kuwaita, which lies in the outskirts of the provincial capital.
02:53And he told us that he, along with his family, were woken up by loud explosions in the early hours, after which gunshots continued for the next hours.
03:05He, along with his family, remained inside their home, turning off lights.
03:09He said that he hasn't dared to go outside since then.
03:11Today's attack is also significant in terms that Blochistan, that the Bloch militants have been able to target areas very close to the provincial capital at a scale that we haven't seen in the past.
03:26Yeah, so a very significant attack, as you say there, the Bloch Liberation Army carrying it out.
03:31The BLA said to be the most active separatist group in the province.
03:35What more can you tell us about them?
03:36Well, the Blochistan Liberation Army, the Bloch Liberation Army, which is also known as BLA, has taken the responsibility of today's attack.
03:46It is a United States-designated terrorist organization.
03:50It is also the most active separatist militant group, Bloch separatist militant group, that has been operating in Blochistan for decades now.
03:57In a press release issued by the group after this attack, they have claimed that this attack was the launch of their new operation against the Pakistani state.
04:10And their main target would be military installations and police and civil administration.
04:17Just to give you a context, Blochistan is the most poorest province in the country, despite being rich in mineral resources.
04:24We have seen in recent past that Bloch separatist groups intensified attacks on Pakistanis from other neighboring provinces as well, who are working in the region.
04:32As well, they have targeted foreign energy firms they believe are exploiting provinces' natural resources.
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