Two “pro-independence” Baloch armed groups, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks targeting Pakistani military personnel, alleged intelligence informants, and state infrastructure across Balochistan over the past two days.
In a statement issued by BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch on Monday, the group claimed its fighters eliminated a Pakistani army personnel in Taftan, while executing two alleged intelligence agents in separate operations in Quetta and Mastung.
The BLA said the army personnel, identified as Akhtar, son of Muhammad Siddiq Aarahi and a resident of Shujaabad, Punjab, was shot dead while leaving his camp for the market in Taftan.
According to the statement, BLA fighters had earlier apprehended Muhammad Nawaz, son of Sherdil Khan Sumalani, a resident of Hazar Ganji, Quetta, who allegedly worked as an informant for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) since 2020. During interrogation, Nawaz reportedly confessed to his involvement in enforced disappearances, blackmail, and recruitment on behalf of the Pakistani military.
In a separate operation on July 1, the BLA said it detained Faisal Shahwani, son of Nazir Ahmed Shahwani, from Pirhingabad, Mastung, accusing him of aiding ISI-led patrols and enforced disappearances in the Khadkocha region.
The statement further alleged that Faisal Shahwani confessed to the murder of Ehsan Shah, a local youth who was allegedly killed by the Pakistani military at the instruction of ISI officer Umar after refusing to work for the agency.
Both men, the BLA said, were sentenced to death by the “Baloch National Court” and subsequently executed.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for multiple attacks across Surab, Rakhshan, and Dasht, including the killing of eight Pakistani security personnel, the seizure of a customs post, and the establishment of blockades on the Quetta-Karachi highway.
According to BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch, fighters on Sunday evening took control of parts of Surab city, set up three checkpoints on the main highway, and searched vehicles for “anti-Baloch elements.” No civilians were harmed.
The statement said BLF fighters surrounded customs officials at Haji Hotel and Gidar Cross, demanded the surrender of their weapons, and set fire to the customs post after seizing the arms. One official who resisted was reportedly wounded.
In a follow-up clash, Pakistani forces deployed surveillance drones and quadcopters, which the BLF said its fighters shot down. Despite attempts to bombard the fighters using mortars dropped by drones, the group stated its fighters withdrew safely.
On Monday morning, BLF fighters carried out an IED attack on a military convoy in Washuk, Rakhshan, reportedly killing six Pakistani soldiers and destroying their vehicle.
Later that day, BLF fighters attacked a Frontier Corps patrol in Umar Darwaza, Dasht, near Quetta, killing two personnel and injuring several others. The group accused the forces of extorting money from cargo transport vehicles in the area.
The BLF said it “accepts responsibility for the killing of eight occupying military personnel, confiscation of weapons, seizure of the customs post in Surab, and highway inspections conducted in Surab, Rakhshan, and Dasht.”