The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for Friday evening’s attack on a Pakistan Coast Guards camp in the Panwan area of Jiwani, Gwadar, saying more than 30 Pakistani personnel were killed and dozens wounded.
In a statement, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said a member of the group’s Majeed Brigade, identified as Attaullah Baloch alias Ajmal, drove an explosive-laden Mazda vehicle into the camp at 6:32pm and detonated it.
“As a result of this powerful blast, the fortified colonial camp of the Coast Guards was completely turned into a heap of rubble,” the statement said.
The BLA’s media channel, Hakkal, also released a 43-second video showing a truck entering the camp compound moments before a powerful explosion. Footage recorded afterwards appears to show that a large part of the structure was destroyed.
The BLA said the explosion was followed by an assault by fighters from its Fateh Squad, who advanced on the damaged camp from several directions and targeted personnel who had survived the blast.
“Immediately after the attack, our organisation’s vanguard unit, the Fateh Squad, advanced rapidly and in an organised manner, launching an assault on the destroyed camp from all sides,” the statement said.
The group claimed its fighters engaged the remaining Coast Guards personnel at close range, bringing the total number of personnel killed during the operation to more than 30. It said dozens of others were seriously wounded, while some remained trapped beneath the rubble.
“Given the critical condition of the injured and the personnel trapped under the rubble, a further increase in the enemy’s casualties is highly likely,” the statement added.
TThe BLA said a more detailed statement would be released soon through its official channels, adding that its attacks against Pakistani forces would continue “with the same intensity” until what it called the “complete independence of Balochistan”.