(Photo credit: AP)
The province has endured a long-running insurgency, with hundreds of security personnel killed in 2024 alone, alongside attacks claimed by separatist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army. Fresh violence broke out in Pakistan after a suicide bomber detonated himself at the main gate of the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters in Nokkundi, Balochistan, sparking an intense exchange of fire and a major security response, Dawn reported. Security personnel from the quick response force immediately engaged the attackers, with heavy gunfire reported from the area.
Pakistan Army General Warns Of Hybrid-To-Full War As Pakistan Reshapes Military Power Under Munir According to FC Balochistan South, the assault began when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance, allowing several armed militants to force their way into the compound. Officials said at least six gunmen were believed to have entered the headquarters, prompting a full-scale clearance operation that continued through the day. In a statement, the FC spokesperson said troops were determined to neutralise the remaining threat, adding that the “last of the terrorists will also be” dealt with. Police had said the first bomber detonated at the main entrance while the second entered the compound, forcing law enforcement to cordon off the busy FC Chowk area amid multiple explosions.
The attack, claimed to be the work of militants described by officials as Fitna-al-Khawarij — the state’s term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — triggered a swift retaliatory operation in which three attackers were killed. Local reports described sustained firing inside the headquarters as forces worked room-to-room to secure the facility. The incident comes just days after a similar assault on an FC compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, where gunmen and two suicide bombers stormed a paramilitary headquarters, killing three people. These attacks form part of a broader escalation in militant violence this year.
Earlier attacks in Quetta — including a deadly car bomb outside a paramilitary base and a suicide blast at a political rally — have added to growing instability in Balochistan.