The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has claimed responsibility for an armed confrontation with Pakistani military forces and its allied militia men in the Rakhni area of Balochistan, saying that nine members of a pro-state armed group were killed during the fighting.
In a statement issued to the media, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the group carried out an operation on May 2 based on what he described as “verified intelligence information”. According to the statement, the operation targeted Waheed Bakhsh Masoori, whom the BLF accused of collaborating with Pakistani authorities and involvement in previous killings of the group’s members.
The spokesperson claimed that Waheed Bakhsh Masoori was captured and interrogated by BLF fighters, during which he provided information about networks described by the group as “death squads” operating in the region.
According to the BLF statement, Pakistani security forces launched a large-scale operation on May 3 aimed at recovering the detained individual and targeting a BLF camp. The group alleged that personnel from the Frontier Corps (FC), police, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), commandos, and armed men led by Aftab Masoori participated in the operation, supported by drones, mortar fire, and automatic weapons.
The BLF claimed that fighting continued for approximately 16 hours, resulting in the deaths of nine members of the pro-state militias, while several members of the Frontier Corps and police were allegedly injured. Pakistani authorities have not publicly commented on the reported clash.
The group also announced the death of one of its commanders, identified as Captain Salal Baloch, also known as Major Noora. According to the statement, he was killed while covering the withdrawal of fellow fighters during the confrontation.
The BLF described Salal Baloch as a university graduate from Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS) who had joined the armed group in 2022 and later became involved in operations across several districts of Balochistan.
The Pakistani government considers the BLF a banned militant organisation involved in insurgent attacks targeting security personnel and state infrastructure.
The latest claims come amid ongoing violence and competing narratives surrounding insurgency and counterinsurgency operations in Balochistan.