IED event in Balochistan, Nokundi area, Pakistan on Sun 30th November 2025

Two paramilitary soldiers and three “terrorists” were killed in a suicide attack overnight that targeted the headquarters of the Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, two officials with direct knowledge of the development confirmed on Monday.

The incident took place on Sunday night when an attacker rammed an explosive-laden vehicle at the gate of the FC headquarters in Nokundi city, located in Balochistan’s Chaghi district. This district is home to the Reko Diq, counted among the world’s biggest untapped deposits of copper and gold, and the Saindak copper and gold mine.

The incident takes place days after the Nov. 24 attack on the paramilitary Federal Constabulary force’s headquarters in Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar city. Three members of the FC personnel were killed in the attack while at least 11 others were wounded. No group had claimed responsibility for the incident.

“Reportedly, three terrorists have been killed,” a Balochistan government official told Arab News on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media. “Two soldiers have been martyred and the injured are not known.”

The official said the attack took place around 8:20pm on Sunday night, adding that the attackers opened indiscriminate firing at paramilitary forces after the blast. He said multiple explosions were also heard while the FC personnel engaged the attackers.

A Chaghi district official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that three “terrorists” were killed during the exchange.

“Clearance operation is continuing,” he said.

A spokesperson of the FC South Region confirmed the attack in a statement, saying that three “terrorists of Fitnah-ul-Hindustan” were responsible for the incident.

The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), an ethnic Baloch separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

Balochistan has been reeling from a separatist insurgency launched by ethnic Baloch militant groups since the past few decades. The most prominent among these groups is the Balochistan Liberation Army, which has ramped up attacks in recent years.

Islamabad calls these outfits proxies of Indian intelligence, branding them Fitnah-ul-Hindustan, which translates to “India’s mischief.” New Delhi denies it backs these militant groups.

“Fighters of SOB, a subsidiary organization of BLF, have launched a massive attack on the central compound for foreign staff and engineers associated with Reko Diq and Saindak in Nokundi,” the BLF said.

The group also released the photograph of a female suicide bomber, claiming she drove the car that exploded at the entrance of the FC headquarters.

Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is strategically important due to its mineral wealth and its role as a transit hub for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

However, separatist militants in the restive province have frequently attacked foreign nationals in the past, particularly Chinese citizens, working on dams and other infrastructural projects across the country.

Pakistan has allowed China’s MCC Resources Development Company (MRDL) to explore and develop eastern mines under the Saindak Copper-Gold Project till 2035, while the $7 billion copper and gold mining Reko Diq project by Barrick Gold is held in an equal partnership between the Canadian company and Pakistani authorities. It is expected to start production by the end of 2028.

Ethnic Baloch separatists accuse Pakistan’s federal government of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources and denying locals a share in its mineral wealth. Pakistan’s government and military reject the allegations, saying that Islamabad is carrying out several health, education and infrastructural projects in the province.