officials said, in the latest incident in the violence-hit southwest region. Several police stations in the provincial capital of Quetta were targeted by alleged ethnic Baloch gunmen in an attack that began at about 3am local time on Saturday (22:00 GMT on Friday). Pakistan has been battling a separatist movement in Balochistan for decades, where rebels target state forces, foreign nationals and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attacks, according to a report by the AFP news agency. The group claimed to target military installations and police and civil administration officials in gun attacks and suicide bombings. An unnamed security official quoted by the AFP said it was a coordinated attack which hit “more than 12 locations”. At least 67 BLA fighters were also killed, taking the total toll to 108 fighters killed in the last 48 hours.

Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said most of the BLA attacks were foiled. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a statement, said the attacks were carried out by “Fitna al-Hindustan”, a phrase the government uses for the BLA, which he alleged is backed by neighbouring arch enemy India.

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for “foiling” the attacks, also accusing India of backing the separatists. “We will continue the war against terrorism until its complete eradication,” he said. New Delhi has not yet responded to the allegations.

Several members of the Pakistani security forces were reported to have been abducted during the attacks. Internet and train services have been suspended while a security operation is under way. The attacks came a day after the military said it had killed 41 armed fighters in two separate operations in Balochistan, Pakistan’s poorest province, despite an abundance of untapped natural resources. (Aljazeera)