Islamabad, May 6 — Seven paramilitary personnel were killed and five others injured on Tuesday when a convoy was hit by a homemade bomb in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, officials confirmed.
The attack occurred near the town of Mach in Kachhi district around midday, as the convoy was heading toward a security operation in the mountainous, coal-rich region.
In a statement, the military said a vehicle carrying forces was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED), killing seven.
“Terrorists targeted the convoy using a homemade bomb,” the statement said.
A senior local government official told AFP the injured were airlifted by helicopter to a military hospital in Quetta, the provincial capital.
The Mach area, often struck by attacks linked to separatist violence, has long been considered a hotspot of insurgent activity.
The BLA, one of the most active armed groups in the region, accuses the Pakistani state of plundering Balochistan’s resources and marginalizing its people.
While no group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s bombing so far, authorities said the tactics and location suggest BLA involvement.
The blast adds to a rising wave of violence in the restive province.
According to an AFP tally, more than 200 people—mostly security personnel—have been killed in attacks across Balochistan and neighboring Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa since the beginning of 2025.