The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a “pro-independence” armed group, has claimed responsibility for a series of hand-grenade attacks targeting Pakistani armed forces in Quetta and Turbat, as well as a temporary highway blockade in Basima, Balochistan.
In a statement issued on Saturday, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the group’s fighters set up a roadblock on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) highway in the Pathk area of Basima on December 12, conducting snap checks between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
He said two personnel from the Customs Department were taken into custody during the blockade and remained under interrogation, adding that a decision regarding their release would be made after the interrogation is completed.
The BLF said its fighters also carried out a hand-grenade attack on a Pakistani forces’ post in the Aap Daruk area of Absar, Turbat, at around 9 p.m. on the night of December 12. According to the statement, the grenade landed inside the post, causing casualties and property damage.
In a separate incident, the group said three Frontier Corps personnel were targeted with a hand grenade outside the gate of Kachhi Baig police station on Qambrani Road in Quetta at around 2 a.m. on December 13. The BLF claimed all three personnel were injured in the attack.
The group accepted responsibility for the attacks in Quetta and Turbat, as well as the roadblock in Basima, and said it would continue its operations “until the achievement of an independent Balochistan.”
Pakistani authorities had not issued an official response to the BLF’s claims at the time of publication.