Suspected militants kill judge, security guard in ambush in restive southwest Pakistan

Protesters march after a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf) 2026-07-23T13:38:26Z Quetta, Pakistan (AP) — Suspected militants ambushed a vehicle carrying a district judge in restive southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing him and his security guard before fleeing the scene, police and government officials said. The attack occurred in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province where separatist insurgents have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months. A local police chief in Mastung, Abdul Rauf, said Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar was traveling from Quetta, the provincial capital, to Mastung to hear cases when “terrorists ambushed his vehicle and killed him” and his guard. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, suspicion is likely to fall on Baloch separatist insurgents, who have intensified attacks across the province in recent months, particularly the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army. Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populous province, has long been the scene of a separatist insurgency , as well as attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The Baloch Liberation Army, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2019, has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks targeting security forces, government officials and civilians in recent years.