The clash between the Pakistani security forces and fighters of the Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade came to an end on Saturday evening after the two sides battled for 72 hours. The Pakistani forces have finally regained control of the camp in Panjgur with the death of the seven attackers.
After three days of intermittent clashes, the BLA’s attack in Panjgur came to an end with the reported 105 casualties of the Pakistani forces. The Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistani Army, also confirmed the clash has ended.
The Baloch Liberation Army named its operation in Noshki and Panjgur “Operation Ganjal” after one of its commanders who died in a confrontation with the Pakistani forces near Kharan in 2021. In a media statement, BLA said that the attacks had achieved their goal. The group said that its fighters have killed 195 Pakistani soldiers in Noshki and Panjgur.
BLA’s statement said, “16 highly trained Fidayees of Majeed Brigade carried out Operation Ganjal. 9 fidayees were involved in the Noshki attack, whereas 7 fidayees took part in Panjgur attack. The Fidayees took control of two different camps of Pakistani forces and eliminated more than 195 personnel of enemy and injured several more. Three officers of the enemy forces were also killed.”
“More than 90 enemy personnel, including approximately 55 personnel of Frontier Corps, 18 SSG Commandos and 7 Lite Commandos were killed in Noshki, whereas at least 105 enemy personnel were neutralized in Panjgur. This includes 85 personnel of Frontier Corps and 20 SSG Commandos. During the battle a military drone was shot, wheras a helicopter was also targeted,” the statement read.
BLA’s attacks began on Wednesday evening when the attackers of the Majeed Brigade, the unit of the BLA, specializing in self-sacrificing attacks, launched twin attacks on the headquarters of the Pakistani forces in Noshki and Panjgur. The attackers captured the two camps within the initial hours of the attack, reportedly killing dozens of soldiers of the Pakistani forces. The attacks continued for several hours – in Noshki, the attack ended a day later on Thursday when the nine attackers were killed. The attack in Panjgur continued for three days as the Pakistani forces failed to dislodge the attackers despite the constant bombardment of the camp.
Within the first few hours of the attack, the Pakistani military claimed that it had “thwarted” the attacks and “repulsed” the attackers, but the local sources and audio messages from the attackers inside the camp, claimed otherwise. Photos and videos shared on media depict the intensity of the clashes. Firing sounds could be heard from inside as military choppers hover and shell over the camp. In a series of voice notes, the attackers can be heard informing their commander of the developments inside the camp. In the voice messages, the fighters say that they have killed dozens of soldiers of the Pakistani forces.
Finally, on Saturday evening, the Baloch Liberation Army announced in a media statement that its operation in Panjgur has ended and the seven attackers have died. BLA also warned China “to refrain from aiding Pakistan in looting Baloch resources and strengthening occupation of our motherland or else their interests will once again be at our target.”
Pakistani officials also confirmed that the clash has ended. In a media statement, the ISPR said: “All encircled terrorists were killed in today’s (Saturday) operation as they failed to surrender.”
“Both attacks were repulsed successfully by the prompt response from troops at both locations,” the ISPR said.
Despite the substantial evidence on social media, the ISPR is adamant that the attacks were foiled and the attackers were killed. To justify the battle raging in Panjgur for the past three days, the ISPR said that the Pakistani forces were carrying out a “clearance operation” to weed out the “terrorists hiding in the vicinity.” ISPR said that the forces had killed 20 “terrorists” – 9 in Noshki and 11 in Panjgur. It said that five soldiers were killed during the “clearance operation.”
BLA in its statement said: “BLA totally rejects the ISPR statements and considers them as a bundle of lies. Pakistani military is hiding its dead bodies due to internal pressure and embarrassment it has suffered on international platform.”