The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said on Monday it had killed 55 members of Pakistan’s armed forces in 18 coordinated attacks across Balochistan between March 6 and March 16.
In a statement sent to the media, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the operations were conducted in Khuzdar, Surab, Shahrag, Turbat, Karkh, Pasni, Quetta, Panjgur, Kharan, Gwadar and Dukki, adding that the attacks targeted what he described as “occupying forces,” intelligence operatives, Coast Guards personnel and military installations.
He further claimed that BLA fighters established “effective strategic control” over parts of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route during the period.
Details of operations
According to the spokesperson, the series of attacks began on March 6 in Khuzdar, where a military post in the Katan area was targeted with grenade launchers, causing what he described as casualties and material losses.
He said that on March 7, fighters detained the armoured vehicle of the Commissioner Makran in Surab along with a gunman and driver, adding that “alcohol and narcotics” were recovered from the vehicle.
He further claimed that interrogation of those detained was ongoing under what he described as “organisational laws.”
On the same day, he said, an army post in the Pognish area of Kech district was targeted, resulting in casualties and the destruction of surveillance cameras.
The spokesperson said that between March 9 and March 14, during what the group called “Operation Karkh,” fighters blockaded the CPEC route (M-8) in Khuzdar and established checkpoints, claiming control of the route for six consecutive days.
He added that during snap-checking, three personnel of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, attempted to flee, of whom two were “killed on the spot” while one was arrested.
The statement said that advancing army units were targeted with remote-controlled IEDs and ambushes during the operation, in which “more than 17 personnel were killed” and several others injured, while vehicles and surveillance equipment were destroyed.
Jeeyand Baloch said that separate attacks were carried out on March 9 in Surab and Turbat, including a “full-scale attack” that repelled advancing forces and an IED strike on a military vehicle that killed one soldier and injured three.
He added that on March 10, a grenade attack targeted what was described as a hideout of Military Intelligence (MI) operatives in Pasni.
According to the BLA, a joint convoy of the army, CTD and what it described as a “death squad” was ambushed on March 13 in the Pingo area near Quetta, resulting in two personnel killed and a vehicle destroyed.
He further claimed that on March 14, attacks in Panjgur and Kharan targeted military convoys, including a night-time assault in Parom and a rocket and heavy weapon attack in Garuk, where multiple vehicles were hit and at least 20 personnel were killed and several others injured.
The spokesperson added that a supply truck seized a day earlier in Kharan was later set on fire, while the drivers were released “on humanitarian grounds.”
He said that on March 15, installations at Turbat Airport, including a jet fuel station, were targeted with grenade launchers, causing what he described as “significant damage.”
On the same day, he said, fighters carried out an attack in Jiwani, where three Coast Guards personnel, identified as Naik Saleem, Sepoy Adnan Rao and Sepoy Azeem, were killed and weapons seized.
He added that on March 16, a military convoy in Dukki was targeted with a remote-controlled IED, in which 10 personnel were killed and a vehicle destroyed.
Jeeyand Baloch said the attacks were aimed at what he described as ending Pakistan’s “occupation” of Balochistan, adding that the group would continue its operations.