The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Thursday claimed responsibility for 22 operations across Balochistan during the first week of October, saying 24 personnel were killed and dozens injured in attacks on Pakistani forces, military installations and alleged intelligence networks.
Convoy Ambushes and IED Attacks
BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said fighters ambushed buses and accompanying military vehicles on the CPEC route in Washuk’s Urmagay area on October 4, claiming five Pakistani military personnel were killed and more than 13 injured.
The group said its fighters targeted a military convoy with heavy weapons in Soro, Manguchar, on October 5, claiming four personnel were killed, several injured and one vehicle destroyed. It also claimed an ambush on a bomb disposal squad in the same area the previous day.
In Panjgur’s Hokani area of Parom, the BLA said a remote-controlled IED attack on a military vehicle killed three personnel and seriously injured two on October 5. It added that fighters attacked reinforcements arriving at the scene, killed additional personnel and shot down a surveillance drone.
The statement claimed three personnel were killed and several injured while fighters repelled a military advance in Mastung’s Gurgina area on October 2, while a military foot advance in Manguchar was forced to retreat that night.
The BLA also claimed two personnel were killed in a sniper attack followed by an armed assault on a military post near Pirangabad, close to Lakpass, on October 4.
A military vehicle was damaged in an IED attack in Mastung’s Kardigap area the following day, according to the group.
Two personnel travelling on a motorcycle as part of a military convoy were killed in an IED attack in Awaran’s Gishkaur area on October 6, the statement claimed.
It also reported convoy ambushes in Jantri, Buleda, on October 1 and Daghari on Quetta’s Sibi Road on October 5, claiming casualties and damage without providing figures.
‘Economic Blockade’
The BLA said its fighters maintained control over major highways, claiming military movement was “severely paralyzed” under what it calls an “economic blockade”.
The group said an armoured vehicle travelling with a convoy of military and commercial vehicles was severely damaged by a remote-controlled IED on the Quetta–Taftan trade route at Chehatar in Chagai on October 4.
It added that fighters seized a commercial vehicle and disabled the tyres of another vehicle in the same area that day.
The statement also claimed responsibility for burning and destroying two communication towers in Mashkel’s Patkin and Mat areas on October 3.
Killings of Alleged Military Operatives
The BLA claimed responsibility for killing four men it accused of working for the Pakistani military or state-backed armed groups, including three whom it said it executed after detention.
The group said Shah Khalid, a resident of Qazi Abad, Nushki, was killed near the Qadirabad bypass on October 2. It accused him of working for Military Intelligence, assisting military raids and blackmailing women to gather information.
Hamid Syed, a resident of Zirdan in Buleda, was detained on September 23 and executed on October 3 following a decision by the “Baloch National Court”, according to the statement.
The BLA alleged that Hamid had joined a state-backed armed group led by Ghaffar and assisted military operations and road closures in Buleda, Padak Dun and Gazbistan. It also accused him of theft and robbery, citing what it claimed were admissions during interrogation.
The BLA also said it executed Imran Babar, son of Khuda Dad, and Bilal, son of Aslam, after detaining them in Harnai’s Shahrag area and obtaining what it described as confessions.
It accused Imran of working as a military informer and facilitator for two years, assisting troop movements and route clearance, and participating in motorcycle thefts. Bilal had attempted to infiltrate the BLA by presenting himself as a sympathiser and delivering a tracking device concealed among supplies, the group alleged.
The statement also claimed three alleged military operatives were injured in a grenade attack on a location they used in Gwadar’s Janat Bazaar on October 6.
The BLA gave further details of the September 20 clash in Sibi’s Lehri area in which commander Haroon Rasheed Buzdar, alias Mubarak, was killed. It said fighters encountered Pakistani forces while on patrol and took up defensive positions, claiming heavy military casualties in the ensuing clash and saying Buzdar was killed while fighting on the front line.
The group separately released his profile on Thursday.