Nushki entered its fifth day of clashes on Wednesday as BLA fighters held large parts of the city and Pakistani forces used helicopters and drones in operations that residents say killed several civilians.
BLA Control in Nushki
The BLA has held control over large parts of Nushki since Saturday morning, when the group launched coordinated attacks across more than a dozen cities in Balochistan under the second phase of “Operation Herof” or Black Storm.
Armed fighters stormed several Pakistani forces’ camps in the city, including the ISI headquarters, after carrying out suicide attacks at entry points. Fighters also took control of police stations and government offices, expelled the commissioner and deputy commissioner from the city and assumed control of administrative affairs.
Despite ground reinforcements being dispatched, Pakistani troops were forced to turn back after coming under attack outside the city. Sources said Pakistani forces later resorted to heavy aerial bombardment and drone strikes across Nushki, during which multiple civilians, including a minor child, an ambulance driver and a bystander, were killed.
Civilian Deaths Reported
Local sources said an ambulance from Nushki Teaching Hospital carrying the injured from earlier strikes came under fire, injuring the driver, Hashmat Ali Jan.
Earlier, near Cadet College Nushki, an ambulance was also targeted and its driver was killed.. In another incident, Hassan Basri, the brother of singer Hussain Aseer, was allegedly shot dead by Pakistani forces.
The death of a child, Deedag Baloch, in a drone strike had been confirmed earlier. Late Tuesday night, another child, Shahzad Jan, was killed by gunfire in the Qaziabad area. Residents said heavy shelling and aerial strikes continued throughout the night.
Communication networks and internet services remain suspended, making independent verification difficult. Local sources told The Balochistan Post that dozens of civilians were believed to have been killed or injured in recent days as helicopter and drone strikes targeted homes, vehicles and civilian movement across the city.
BLA Claims 310 Pakistani Personnel Killed
In a statement on Wednesday evening, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said “Operation Herof 2.0” had entered its fifth day and that fighters were holding “strong positions” across multiple fronts.
He said Pakistani forces were facing “intense pressure, setbacks and disarray,” adding that Baloch fighters were “thwarting the enemy’s military advances through sustained resistance.”
He claimed that “at least 310 personnel and operatives” of the Pakistani army, Frontier Corps, police, Counter Terrorism Department and army-backed militias had been killed, describing the figures as preliminary.
He said forty-six BLA fighters had been killed so far, including twenty-nine “fidayeen” of the Majeed Brigade, ten fighters of the Fateh Squad and seven members of the STOS unit.
The statement accused Pakistani forces of attempting to “conceal military defeats and casualties.” It said independent media could “visit any army camp in Nushki, Dalbandin, Quetta, Kharan, Mastung, Gwadar, Pasni, Tump or Turbat” to verify the situation.
Pakistan Confirms Airstrikes
The international news agency Reuters reported that Pakistani officials said they had regained control of Nushki after several days of clashes in which BLA fighters seized a police station and multiple security installations. Officials confirmed the use of helicopters and drones during the operation.
The agency said Pakistan reported 58 deaths in the coordinated attacks that began early Saturday, claiming 22 security personnel, 36 civilians and more than 100 attackers had been killed.
“Helicopters and drones were used against the militants,” one security official told the agency, adding that operations against the BLA continued in other parts of Balochistan.
Officials told Reuters the attacks began at 5 a.m. on Saturday with suicide blasts in Nushki and the fishing port of Pasni, followed by coordinated assaults in 11 more locations, including Quetta and Gwadar.
Security sources told Reuters that fighters seized at least six district offices and advanced to within one kilometre of the chief minister’s residence in Quetta.
The BLA has rejected Pakistan’s claim of having retaken the city, maintaining that its fighters continue to hold “strong positions” inside Nushki.
Fresh Clashes Across Balochistan
Fresh clashes were reported in multiple districts on Wednesday, with BLA fighters targeting military positions, destroying key infrastructure and expanding control over strategic routes.
In the Ahmad Wal area of Nushki, BLA fighters took control of a Pakistani military camp and several surrounding posts, sources said. Two military vehicles were destroyed in the fighting.
A freight train travelling from Quetta to Taftan was intercepted and set on fire in Ahmed Wal during the coordinated attacks, sources added.
Earlier, in Galangur, about 34 kilometres from Nushki, the group reportedly seized another military position and captured weapons and equipment.
Armed fighters also used explosives to destroy key highway bridges linking major routes across Balochistan. After the incident in Galangur, a bridge at Sarawan that connects Kharan to Basima was blown up, leaving the structure completely destroyed.
Sources said fighters of the BLA maintained a significant presence along Nushki’s main highway and continued to hold control of the RCD Highway from Keshangi to Kardgap, restricting military movement in the area.
Heavy firing was reported in Wadh and Ornach in Khuzdar, where armed individuals targeted a forces’ camp in Kararo and set up road blockades.
Local sources told The Balochistan Post that 62 prisoners were freed from two Pakistani jails during the clashes, including 35 prisoners in Nushki and 27 in Mastung.
Disruptions Continue
Train services from Quetta to other parts of Pakistan and to Chaman remain suspended. Railway officials said the Bolan Mail, which runs between Karachi and Quetta, will remain suspended until 12 February, adding that the halt in services has caused losses exceeding three million rupees.
Major highways remain closed, including the Dera Ismail Khan–Loralai road that links Punjab to Balochistan and the Quetta–Taftan highway. Authorities warned that movement may remain restricted due to ongoing clashes.
Mobile networks and internet services also remain down in several districts across Balochistan.