Balochistan [Pakistan], May 19 : The N-40 Quetta-Taftan Highway became one of the most tense and strategically sensitive routes in Balochistan, between 10 and 17 May 2026, with incidents of armed activity, road blockades, ambushes, and temporary control of highway sections reported from areas including Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, and Washuk, according to a report by The Balochistan Post.
Temporary snap-checking points reportedly remained operational for several hours at different locations, repeatedly affecting traffic movement along the highway. On 15 May, the RCD Highway (N-40) was shut down for several hours after a major bridge in Sheikh Wasil, near Nushki in Mastung district, was blown up in an explosion. The same day, convoys carrying minerals, chromite-loaded trucks, and Pakistani military vehicles were allegedly targeted, the TBP report stated.
Meanwhile, armed groups reportedly continued snap-checking and control operations for several hours in Nushki's Mill area. In the Armagaye region of Kharan, trucks transporting minerals were reportedly set ablaze. Separate reports from Basima in Washuk also claimed that a ration supply vehicle linked to the Pakistani military had been seized.
On 16 May, the most significant operation was reported from Dalbandin, where armed men allegedly took temporary control of several parts of the city, including a police station. Reports from the incident mentioned heavy clashes, road blockades on the bypass road, seizure of arms and ammunition, and the burning of government vehicles. Later that day, in the Kanak area of Mastung, ambushes reportedly targeted Pakistani military convoys and mineral transport vehicles travelling along the Quetta-Taftan Highway, resulting in casualties and the destruction of at least one military vehicle. Throughout the week, supply routes and convoys connected to the Reko Diq and Saindak mining projects reportedly remained under repeated attack, according to the TBP report.
The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the operations, saying it had established complete control over the N-40 Quetta-Taftan Highway, where snap-checking, road blockades, and surveillance activities continued for several hours. The group alleged that the route has historically been used for the exploitation of Balochistan's natural resources and stated that it would continue targeting trucks, convoys, and supply vehicles associated with what it called the "plunder" of those resources, the TBP report added.
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