Three Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups separately claimed responsibility for a series of operations across Balochistan that they said left several government personnel dead and resulted in the seizure of weapons and government property.
In a statement sent to the media, United Baloch Army (UBA) spokesperson Mazar Baloch said the group’s fighters entered Bhag Narhi at about 4:30 p.m. on Monday after establishing blockades on the town’s access routes.
He said the fighters carried out operations at the police station, NADRA office, Levies station, tehsildar office, and the National Bank, confiscating weapons and official vehicles and setting several buildings ablaze.
The UBA statement said three police personnel, including the town’s Station House Officer (SHO) Lutf Ali Khosa, were killed in clashes at the police station, while three others were injured. The group said it released 11 prisoners from the Levies station and seized weapons from Levies personnel.
Mazar Baloch said the fighters held the town for several hours before withdrawing after a large contingent of Frontier Corps personnel arrived, triggering intense clashes. He claimed three Frontier Corps personnel were killed and several others injured in the fighting.
The UBA statement paid tribute to a fighter identified as Sangat Sahib Khan Bangulzai, alias Shokat, who it said was killed while covering his unit’s withdrawal. The group described him as an urban guerrilla and hailed his actions as a sacrifice that allowed others to withdraw safely.
The UBA warned local police and Levies personnel against “anti-Baloch activities” and said such operations would continue until the group achieves its objective of an independent Balochistan.
Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) said its fighters ambushed Frontier Corps personnel near Riko Rogan Buleda on Tuesday morning, killing three and injuring one.
In a media statement, Major Gwahram Baloch, the BLF spokesperson, said the attack targeted three motorcycle riding paramilitary personnel at around 8:00 a.m. He said fighters seized weapons and military equipment from the killed personnel and withdrew to safe locations.
The Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) said its fighters attacked a Frontier Corps cantonment near the hospital in Sibi late on Tuesday, firing rockets and opening fire with automatic weapons.
Dostain Baloch, the BRG spokesperson, claimed the attack inflicted “heavy casualties and material losses” on Pakistani forces and said the group accepted responsibility for the operation.
The recent attacks come amid an intensified armed campaign by several Baloch armed groups this year, during which they have regularly carried out highway blockades, seizures of military outposts, and temporary takeovers of towns.
Pakistani authorities have responded with air and ground operations, maintaining that their actions are aimed at protecting national security and stability in the region.