KARACHI (Reuters) – The Baloch Liberation Military, a militant separatist group in Pakistan, denied involvement in an assault that killed no less than 21 mine staff, condemning the violence.
Dozens of attackers stormed a cluster of small non-public coal mines in Pakistan’s restive southwest on Friday with weapons, rockets and hand grenades, killing some miners of their sleep and capturing others after lining them up.
“Baloch Liberation Military condemns the bloodbath of 21 Pashtun staff in Dukki, making it clear that our group has no involvement on this tragic incident,” the BLA stated in an electronic mail late on Saturday.
No group has claimed duty for the assault on the mines of the Junaid Coal Co within the mineral-rich province of Balochistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran.
It was the worst such assault in weeks and comes days earlier than Pakistan hosts a summit of the Eurasian group Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant teams has led to frequent assaults towards the federal government, military and Chinese language pursuits within the area, urgent calls for for a share in mineral-rich sources.
In addition to the separatists, the area can also be house to Islamist militants, who’ve resurged since 2022 after revoking a ceasefire with the federal government.
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan. It’s the greatest of a number of ethnic rebel teams which have battled the South Asian nation’s authorities for many years, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s wealthy fuel and mineral sources.
The province is house to key mining tasks, together with Reko Diq, run by big Barrick Gold (NYSE:) and believed to be one of many world’s largest gold and mines. China additionally operates a gold and copper mine within the province.
On the time of the assault, a delegation from Saudi Arabia, which says it’s set to purchase a stake within the Reko Diq mine, was in Islamabad exploring offers as Pakistan seeks to get well from an financial disaster.