Armed fighters blew up a police station, set fire to government offices and briefly detained police officers after entering a town in Balochistan’s Pishin district on Thursday, local sources said, in an attack later claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
The heavily armed fighters took positions at several locations in Saranan and remained in the town for several hours. They seized government-issued weapons and equipment from the police station before destroying it with explosives and also set fire to offices, including the National Database and Registration Authority office, the sources said.
Several police officers were detained during the operation, sources said, adding that the fighters also spoke with local residents.
In a statement issued after the attack, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group’s fighters had gained “complete control” over Saranan and taken control of the police station, NADRA office and other government buildings.
Jeeyand said the police personnel taken into custody were subsequently released and that the fighters had seized “a large quantity of arms and ammunition” from the police station before destroying the building in an explosion. Further details of the operation would be released to the media later, he added.
The BLA previously claimed similar attacks on police facilities in Pishin and neighbouring Qilla Abdullah in June.
(NOTE: This story has been updated to include the BLA’s claim of responsibility.)