Three separate attacks targeted the Pakistani security forces in Balochistan’s Kech, Panjgoor, and Bolan districts. Two Baloch ‘pro-independence’ groups, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and the United Baloch Army (UBA) claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kech and Bolan, respectively. The attackers in Panjgoor remain unidentified.
The BLF said in a media statement that its fighters ambushed a convoy of Pakistani forces that was carrying rations for their main camp in Kolwah, Kech, on February 21. The group said that it seized the rations and destroyed the surveillance drone camera of the forces.
The group accused the Pakistani forces of being ‘defeated’ and ‘humiliated’ and said that they were afraid to transport their supplies and equipment in their own vehicles. The group alleged that the forces had intimidated local transporters into doing this job for them.
The group warned the local transporters to stop aiding the forces and said that it was constantly monitoring their movements and could strike at any time.
The BLF spokesperson also claimed another attack on the Pakistani forces in Hironk, Kech, on February 22. The group said that its fighters attacked a security checkpoint of the forces, inflicting heavy damage and casualties.
The group reiterated its goal of driving the Pakistani forces out of Balochistan and achieving independence for the region.
In a separate attack in the Mach area of Bolan, the UBA claimed responsibility for blowing up a natural gas pipeline. The group said that its fighters detonated explosives on a 6-inch pipeline in the Bolan River, cutting off the gas supply.
The group accused the Pakistani state of exploiting the resources of Balochistan and said that anyone who facilitated the forces in this activity would face consequences.
In Panjgoor, unknown assailants raided the Pakistani forces’ camp and escaped. The local sources said that loud explosions and gunfire were heard from the camp.
The local sources said that the forces suffered significant losses in the attack, but the officials have not confirmed or denied the incident.
In a separate incident in Nushki, a bomb exploded in the house of a police officer named Nasir, injuring two women in the house. The police have not yet identified the perpetrators or the motive behind the attack.