A Baloch “pro-independence” group targeted the Pakistani security forces in two separate attacks in Sibbi and Kech. Several Pakistani soldiers were killed, numerous others critically wounded. The forces also sustained heavy material damages.
In district Sibbi, the Pakistani forces were targeted in a deadly attack by the Baloch Liberation Army which left five soldiers dead and several others wounded. The armed group claimed responsibility for the attack in a media statement, saying that its fighter targeted an outpost of the 150 wing of the Pakistani security forces. BLA said that it also targeted a convoy of vehicles arriving that the outpost to assist their companions.
In the statement, the BLA said that its fighters surrounded the outpost from all three sides and showered it in a volley of bullets. Furthermore, the forces coming to aid their trapped companions were ambushed by the BLA fighters.
The Baloch Liberation Army also claimed responsibility for another attack on Pakistani forces in Turbat, Kech. In a statement, Jeeyand Baloch, the spokesperson for the group, said that BLA fighters targeted the Pakistani forces in a grenade attack in Turbat, leaving four of them dead at the spot.
BLA said that the Pakistani state is trying to repopulate Balochistan with the Punjabis, thus establishing an espionage network for itself and converting the Baloch into a minority in their homeland. The “pro-independence” group warned the Punjabi settlers that if they become a part of this repopulation tactic – whether deliberately or inadvertently – they will be targeted in future attacks.