The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack near the compound of Shafiq-ur-Rehman Mengal in Khuzdar, saying five people, including a police officer, were killed as part of its “Operation Marg-e-Gaddaran”.
In a statement issued to the media, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group’s fighters attacked what he described as an “important and active base” belonging to Mengal in the Awak area of Aranji, Wadh.
The BLA claimed that all five armed men at the site were associated with an alleged “death squad”, adding that its fighters seized weapons and other military equipment following the attack.
It identified those killed as Abdul Hayee, Naimatullah, Yahya, Naseer Ahmed and Noora Mohammad Zai. The group accused Noora Mohammad, a police officer, of working for the alleged “death squad” “under the cover of a government uniform”.
The BLA described the attack as part of “Operation Marg-e-Gaddaran”, or “Death to Traitors”, which it announced earlier this year against people and armed groups it accuses of operating under state patronage.
Referring to the BLA’s Majeed Brigade attack on Mengal’s main compound in Khuzdar on July 8, the spokesperson claimed that 34 of his associates were killed and that Mengal escaped in a bulletproof vehicle.
“Under Operation Marg-e-Gaddaran, no avenue of escape now remains for these traitors to the land or any of their operatives, and the organisation’s military units remain continuously active in razing each of their secret bases,” the statement said.
The group also issued what it called a final warning to people associated with Mengal or other alleged “death squads”, calling on them to sever their ties, end any intelligence or military cooperation and return to civilian life.
It said those who withdrew would not be harmed, but warned that anyone who continued to provide information or assistance to Mengal would be regarded as a “national traitor” and directly targeted.
The BLA said “Operation Marg-e-Gaddaran” would continue “with full intensity and strength” until Balochistan had been “completely purged of traitors”.