Balochistan group claims responsibility for deadly Pakistan Quetta attack

Separatists from Pakistan's Balochistan province claimed responsibility for nearly a dozen coordinated attacks across southern Pakistan on Saturday that targeted civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations.

Eighteen civilians, 15 security personnel and 92 insurgents were killed, authorities said.

Life is returning to a semblance of normality in Quetta, Pakistan.

The shell of a burnt-out car is a reminder that just one day before, this was the scene of carnage after an attack by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army.

The province's chief minister Sarfraz Bugti vowed to avenge every drop of blood.

Authorities said more than 130 militants have been killed across Balochistan over the past 48 hours, reportedly the deadliest single day for separatists in decades. At least 700 have reportedly been killed this year.

The outlawed BLA claimed responsibility for the attacks, during which some banks were robbed and a police station and dozens of vehicles torched.

The BLA released videos showing female fighters taking part in the attacks, apparently part of an effort to highlight the role of women in their cause.

Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent months.

The TTP is a separate group but allied with Afghanistan's Taliban, which returned to power in August 2021.

Pakistan says the attacks were backed by India, an accusation New Delhi denies.