A convoy of security forces came under attack in Balochistan's Mastung district on Thursday, with local sources, security officials and a Baloch armed group giving starkly different accounts of the incident. None of the casualty figures put forward so far could be independently verified.

According to residents, the attack occurred in the Khad Kocha area along the Quetta, Karachi National Highway, where armed men opened fire on a security forces convoy. Witnesses said an exchange of gunfire continued for several hours, forcing the authorities to suspend traffic on the highway.

Local sources told Balochistan Dispatch that several military buses and accompanying vehicles were hit in the attack. Unverified reports circulating on social media suggested the convoy was transporting military personnel travelling on leave, though this could not be confirmed independently.

Channels linked to a Baloch armed group claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that more than 15 buses had been targeted and that dozens of security personnel were killed or wounded. The group further claimed that reinforcements sent to the area were attacked near the Madina Hotel and put the overall death toll at more than 50 personnel. Balochistan Dispatch could not independently verify these claims.

Security officials, meanwhile, offered a markedly different version of events. They said security forces had launched a clearance operation in the Khad Kocha area after receiving intelligence about the presence of militants there. Seven suspected militants were killed in the operation, the officials said, while three security personnel lost their lives and two others were wounded. They added that the operation was continuing, with ground troops backed by helicopter surveillance.

As of the filing of this report, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had issued no official statement on the attack, the casualties or the outcome of the operation. The claims made by both sides therefore remain unconfirmed by any independent or official source.

Residents reported a heavy movement of security forces in the area through the day, and military helicopters were seen flying over parts of Mastung. An emergency was declared at the Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital in Mastung, though hospital officials had not made any casualty details public.

Thursday's attack comes amid a broader upsurge in militant violence in Balochistan, where assaults on security forces and state infrastructure have intensified in recent months.

This is a developing story. Balochistan Dispatch will update this report as further details emerge from official and independently verifiable sources.