Clashes between Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) fighters and Pakistani armed forces have continued for more than twenty-four hours inside a major compound in Chagai district’s Nokkundi, the group said on Monday.
In a media statement, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said fighters from the group’s Saddo Operational Battalion (SOB) launched the attack at 8:19 p.m. on Sunday, targeting what the group described as the main compound established for the residential quarters and offices of foreign engineers and staff associated with the Saindak and Reko Diq mining projects.
The BLF said its fighters “successfully entered the compound” shortly after the initial assault and had “continued holding their positions for the past twenty-four hours” despite repeated attempts by Pakistani forces to retake control.
According to the statement, “special units” of the Pakistani military attempted to advance using ground routes and helicopters, but the BLF claimed these attempts were repelled.
The group further alleged that Pakistani forces had “retreated after facing resistance” and said all “enemy objectives” had been thwarted so far. Pakistani authorities have not commented on the claims.
The BLF said the attack was intended as “a clear message to Pakistan, its foreign partners and exploitative companies” that Balochistan’s natural resources belong to the Baloch nation.
It warned that without recognizing what it called “Baloch ownership and authority over land and resources,” no major power or company would be allowed to work with Pakistan to “plunder Baloch national resources.”
BLF Outlines Role and Ideology of ‘Saddo Operational Battalion (SOB)’
In a separate and detailed statement, the BLF outlined the structure, objectives and ideological foundations of its newly formed Saddo Operational Battalion (SOB), describing it as a key component of the group’s operational expansion.
Major Gwahram Baloch said the SOB represents the BLF’s “practical expression of operational capability and organizational discipline”, founded on what the group called an ideology of “sacrifice, principle, courage and unwavering resolve”.
The BLF said the Saddo Operational Battalion (SOB) represents what it calls an evolutionary shift in its organizational structure, asserting that the unit will be tasked with striking targets “where the opposing force does not expect it.” The spokesperson described the battalion as the first step in expanding the group’s operational capabilities in response to “changing regional dynamics.”
It said the philosophy of “self-sacrifice” in the Baloch resistance is not a reactionary tactic but a “mature philosophical and ideological decision” adopted by youth who “priorities national survival over personal existence” in pursuit of what the group called the sacred goal of an independent Balochistan.
The BLF said it views the SOB as a disciplined force built to confront Pakistani military power, which it alleged is supported by “powerful, resource-hungry expansionist countries.”
Bringing capable youth under strict organizational discipline, the group said, was necessary to “destroy the occupier’s military structure in occupied Balochistan.”
The BLF said the battalion is named after Commander Waja Saddo (Sadath Marri), whom it described as a key figure in the formation of the current phase of the Baloch nationalist struggle in the early 2000s.
The statement said Waja Saddo played a leadership role “from Bolan to Makuran,” providing ideological and military training to fighters and laying the foundations for what the group called an institutional resistance movement. His teachings, the BLF said, emphasised that “freedom is not attained through dreams and wishes but through sacrifice and continuous struggle.”
The group said Waja Saddo’s name represents not only an individual but an entire institution. It said every “self-sacrificing” member of the SOB carries his ideological legacy and views their weapons not merely as tools of defense but as “symbols of freedom.”
The BLF claimed that the unit will serve as a frontline force responsible for what it calls “strategically important targets” requiring advanced planning. These missions, according to the group, will focus on infrastructure that it alleges forms part of the “military and extractive economic framework” of the state.
The organization said the battalion will conduct operations intended to “shake the foundations” of such structures. It further stated that the new unit aims to “push back enemy forces” and reinforce the broader armed campaign.
The BLF described the battalion as part of a larger strategy to reorganize and centralize its operational wings, claiming that coordinated efforts between units will help expand the group’s capabilities. The statement framed the battalion’s formation as part of a long-term effort to build what it describes as a more professional, disciplined fighting force.
The organization framed the SOB as the “practical realization” of Waja Saddo’s vision of an institutionalized war of independence. It said his ideological companions today are “strengthening those foundations and energizing the struggle”.
The statement described the formation of the battalion as an important step toward the creation of a “free, sovereign and dignified state”, adding that SOB will continue contributing to the Baloch armed resistance “until the dawn of freedom rises”.