The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani Army, confirmed the armed confrontation between the security forces and the Baloch insurgents in Awaran on Sunday. The statement also added that an army soldier was killed in the confrontation. Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), the umbrella organization of Baloch “pro-independence” organizations, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The ISPR said in the statement that on the receipt of intelligence regarding the presence of Baloch insurgents in Jatt Bazar, Awaran, the security forces launched a “search/clearance” operation. Due to the intense cross-fire, an army personnel – Lance Naik Muhammad Iqbal – was wounded and subsequently moved to Karachi for further treatment, where he died as a result of excessive bleeding.
Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar has offered a conflicting account of the confrontation, arguing that the insurgents attacked the convoy of the Pakistani security forces in Awaran that was advancing in the aforesaid area for a military operation.
Baloch Khan, the spokesperson of BRAS, claimed responsibility for the attack in a recent media statement. Contradicting ISPR’s claim of a single death, he said that the at least 10 soldiers were shot dead on the spot and many others were wounded.
He said that the insurgents attacked the convoy when it was advancing the area of Jatt Bazar, purportedly to launch a search operation.
In another development in Kalkor area of Panjgoor, the security forces reportedly carried out an air operation that left 7 people dead.
According to the sources, the military gunship choppers carried out heavy shelling on a house in Kalkor on Monday. 7 people, including women and children, were killed in the air assault. The dead have not been identified yet.
The Pakistani forces have been reportedly carrying out operations in the mountainous ranges of Noshki, Kalat, Kharan and various areas of Panjgoor for the past two days. Noshki and its environs have been cordoned off and as a result, it is increasingly difficult to acquire information on the ramifications of the operations, like the number of casualties and the extent of property damage.