Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups have claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks on Pakistani military forces in Kalat, Quetta, and Awaran districts over the past two days, reportedly resulting in heavy casualties.
According to a statement released by Jeeyand Baloch, spokesperson for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the group’s Fateh Squad carried out a targeted assault on a military transport bus in the Nimargh Cross area of Kalat. The attack, based on intelligence provided by BLA’s surveillance wing Zirab, reportedly killed 27 Pakistani soldiers and injured several more. The bus was reportedly moving troops from Karachi to Quetta.
Jeeyand Baloch said that although the vehicle also carried qawwali performers, they were not the intended target. “We have consistently warned civilians to maintain a safe distance from occupying forces to avoid collateral damage,” he added.
In a separate operation, BLA fighters used a remote-controlled IED to target a military vehicle in Quetta’s Hazarganji area. The group claims two soldiers were killed and seven wounded in the blast.
The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) also issued a media statement, claiming responsibility for two operations. According to the group’s spokesperson, Major Gwahram Baloch, the BLF fighters detonated an IED agianst a miliatary vehicle in Khazina in Kalat, along the Quetta-Karachi highway on the morning of July 15. The group said that four soldies were killed and two injured in the attack.
The group said that a day later, on July 16, BLF forces ambushed a Pakistani military unit in the Gujro Kor area of Jhao, district Awaran, as it pursued a supply vehicle seized earlier by the BLF fighters. The ambush targeted three motorcycles carrying military personnel. Six soldiers, including serving Major Syed Rab Nawaz Tariq from Muzaffarabad, Kashmir, were reported killed on the spot. A sniper unit later fired upon a nearby military convoy, forcing a retreat.
The BLF rejected state media reports that three of its fighters were killed, calling them false. The group suggested that Pakistani forces may have targeted forcibly disappeared persons or civilians in fake encounters in retaliation for their losses.
Both BLA and BLF reiterated that their armed campaigns would continue until the complete withdrawal of Pakistani military forces from Balochistan, which they describe as an “occupied” region. “We once again appeal to the Baloch public to maintain distance from military installations and convoys to avoid harm,” said Jeeyand Baloch.