The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) announced on Monday that it had established a naval wing and released footage of what it described as its first maritime operation in the Jiwani area of Gwadar.
In a detailed statement, the group said it had formed the “Hammal Maritime Defence Force (HMDF)” as its formal naval unit, describing it as the beginning of what it called a “national navy” for the protection of Baloch seas.
BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the unit carried out its first operation around 10:00 AM at a location identified as “Mil Tiyab” in the Jiwani area, where fighters targeted a patrolling boat of what he described as the “occupying Pakistani Navy”.
The group claimed that all three personnel on board were killed, identifying them as Naik Afzal, Sepoy Jameel and Sepoy Umar, adding that its fighters “successfully reached their secure hideouts” after the operation.
“Following the operations on land, the action in maritime boundaries marks a new and critical development in the BLA’s military strategy,” the group said.
It added that the formation of HMDF marked the beginning of a new phase in its struggle, stating that “the Baloch national independence movement has now entered a stage where… its maritime boundaries will also prove to be an inevitable graveyard for the enemy.”
The group said the new naval unit would remain ready to “stop the maritime plunder of Baloch resources, paralyze the enemy’s naval movements, and defend the occupied coasts.”
The BLA’s media wing, Hakkal, also released a two-minute and 32-second video showing the attack. The footage shows four masked fighters moving towards the sea before boarding a speedboat.
In the video, the fighters say, “As long as even one son of the Baloch remains on this land, we will not allow you to remain on this sea or this land.”
They add, “We are ready today, we were ready yesterday, and we will remain ready in the future… you will be struck everywhere.”
The footage then shows the fighters at sea approaching and opening fire on a vessel identified as a Pakistan Coast Guards boat.
The BLA said the unit had been named after Hammal Jeehand Baloch, a historical figure it described as having led naval resistance against Portuguese forces along the Baloch coast in the sixteenth century.
The statement described Hammal Jeehand as “an eternal symbol of honour, bravery, and maritime defence,” adding that the naming reflected what it called a continuation of that historical resistance.
“The BLA has chosen this name to reiterate the resolve that our current resistance is a continuation of this prestigious historical heritage,” it said, adding that the new force would “expel the contemporary occupiers from the Baloch seas.”
The group also warned that its “military scope is no longer limited only to the mountains and cities,” adding that it had developed the capability to target forces “in the deep seas, including naval installations and assets.”
“Our war will continue with full intensity until the complete withdrawal of the enemy,” the statement said.