Separatist insurgents are thought to be behind the widespread assault in Pakistan’s oil-rich Baluchistan province. They ambushed a series of vehicles on a roadside, setting them alight and killing the occupants.

A string of militant attacks in Pakistan left dozens dead, officials said on Monday. The attacks targeted civilians and policemen and were carried out by separatist insurgents.

“We have confirmed 39 people killed in several coordinated attacks carried out by the BLA (Baluch Liberation Army) terrorists,” Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Baluchistan provincial government, told AFP.

The attack took place in the Baluchistan region of Pakistan, which borders both Iran and Afghanistan. It was the most widespread assault by separatist insurgents in the area in many years.

Baluchistan is the country’s largest province by size, but it is also the least populated. Baluchistan remains largely underdeveloped and has high poverty levels. The region is rich in oil and mineral wealth and it is home to China-led infrastructure projects.

Several attacks across Baluchistan

The first attack took place overnight on Sunday in the Baluchistan district of Musakhail, senior police official Ayub Achakzai said, where militants set some 10 vehicles ablaze. 

They targeted vehicles from buses to goods trucks, killing at least 23 people.

“The armed men also not only killed passengers but also killed the drivers of trucks carrying coal,” said Hameed Zahir, deputy commissioner of the area.