A large group of armed men set up a blockade on the Jiwani Coastal Highway at Gabd Cross on Sunday evening, detaining police officials and setting fire to several vehicles transporting minerals.
According to local sources, the armed men attacked a police checkpost during the blockade, detaining all officials present and seizing their weapons and ammunition. Witnesses reported that the attackers set at least four mineral transport vehicles ablaze.
The blockade has now lasted for over an hour, and local sources indicate that it is still ongoing. Authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
Earlier this year, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carried out a similar operation in Balochistan’s Noshki, where they established a blockade on a main road near the city and killed nine “agents” traveling on buses.
BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch claimed responsibility for the Noshki attack, stating that those killed were “agents of Pakistani intelligence agencies” who were targeted based on intelligence reports.
In another operation near Quetta earlier this year, the BLA’s Fateh Squad conducted a targeted operation on June 20 in the Shaban area, detaining ten individuals.
According to the BLA, after an initial investigation, the detainees were presented before the “Baloch national court.” Seven of them were found guilty of collaborating with Pakistani military and intelligence agencies in the “genocide of Baloch people and harming Baloch national interests.” The three others were found innocent and released unharmed.
Baloch armed groups, particularly those under the BRAS alliance, have previously conducted major operations against Pakistani military personnel, oil and gas company workers, and Pakistan Navy officers along the Coastal Highway.
As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for today’s incident on the Coastal Highway.