50 attacks in 24 hours: Operation BAAM marks new phase in Baloch insurgency, Pak Army struggles to respond

Rescue personnel transfer the body of a bus passenger into an ambulance, a day after he was killed in a militant attack allegedly by the separatist group Balochistan Liberation Front (BLA), at the Zhob district in Balochistan province on July 11, 2025.

In a bold and coordinated offensive, Baloch separatist groups, led by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have launched “Operation BAAM” (also dubbed Operation Dawn), unleashing over 50 attacks across the province in just 24 hours. With rising body counts, targeted ethnic killings, and territorial assaults on Pakistani military camps, this operation signals not just a surge in violence but a fundamental shift in how the insurgency is being waged, exposing Islamabad’s deepening failure to contain its most volatile frontier.

In the past 24 hours alone, at least 50 attacks, multiple kidnappings, and over 27 reported fatalities have rocked Balochistan. The BLA specifically claimed responsibility for killing at least 18 Pakistani soldiers in a brazen assault on a military base in Gidar, Suhrab district.

Baloch armed groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and BLA, have shifted from small-scale guerrilla strikes to coordinated territorial operations. As reported by The Times of India, the BLF alone hit at least 17 targets – government and military installations – under its Operation BAAM campaign.

In a particularly horrific incident, nine Punjabi passengers returning from work were forcibly removed from buses in the Zhob area and executed after identity checks. Government officials confirmed that armed militants set up a blockade, inspected ID cards, and shot the passengers execution-style. Meanwhile, approximately 20 individuals remain missing, believed to have been abducted by separatists.

Widespread violence across province

Attacks have been reported in nearly every district, including Kech, Kharan, Khuzdar, Kalat, Panjgur, Washuk, Musakhel, Sibi, Mastung, Naseerabad, Quetta, Chagai, and Dera Bugti. The provincial government acknowledged the “surge in violence” and scrambled security forces in response. However, independent analysts warn that the scale and coordination of the attacks are increasingly outpacing Punjab-centred security operations.

Escalating insurgency driven by deep grievances

The Baloch insurgency has a long history dating back to Pakistan’s founding. It has intensified dramatically in recent years, fuelled by systemic marginalisation, ethnic tensions, and resource exploitation, including discontent over mega-infrastructure projects like Gwadar Port and CPEC.

Since early 2025, attacks have surged: separatist groups have launched train hijackings, bombings – including a deadly school bus bombing in Khuzdar – and territorial seizures in areas like Khuzdar and Mastung.

Islamabad has responded with large-scale operations like Operation Herof 2.0, yet despite claims of killing insurgents, such as the reported neutralisation of 27 Baloch fighters in January, these have failed to quell the insurgency. Civilian bombings, kidnapping, and ethnic violence have continued unabated.

Independent observers argue that Pakistan’s heavy-handed tactics—including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial detentions—are fuelling, rather than containing, the conflict. Meanwhile, the insurgents are exploiting rising local resentment, delivering coordinated and territorial offensives that challenge the state’s authority on its own soil.