Quetta, April 27 (IANS) The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against Pakistani forces across multiple districts of Balochistan between April 15 and April 25, killing 42 military personnel, injuring several others and capturing one soldier during the period, local media reported on Monday.
According to a statement issued by the BLA spokesperson, Jeeyand Baloch, the group’s fighters carried out improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, ambushes, raids, and drone strikes targeting Pakistani security forces. He further claimed that the armed group seized weapons and briefly took control of several posts of Pakistani forces and facilities across several areas.
Detailing the timeline of the assaults across Balochistan, the statement revealed that the Pakistani forces were attacked as they were trying to defuse an explosive device in Kalat, while police stations and rest houses in Dalbandin were briefly captured, with equipment and vehicles set ablaze.
On April 24, the BLA claimed to have taken control of a site linked to a petroleum and gas company near the provincial capital, Quetta, destroying machinery and vehicles. In Surab, the group said that an ambush followed an IED attack on Pakistani forces, resulting in significant casualties.
The statement further added that the group carried out multiple attacks on Pakistani forces’ convoys and checkpoints on April 19, causing deaths and injuries among personnel.
Furthermore, on April 18, the BLA said that clashes occurred in the Shahrag area in Harnai, where one Pakistani soldier was captured alive. It also claimed control of a levee post in Jhal Magsi, along with the seizure of weapons.
The group said that on April 15, its fighters targeted advancing Pakistani forces in the Sohnda area with a remote-controlled IED, followed by an ambush, killing several Pakistani forces’ personnel.
On the other hand, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed to have launched a wave of attacks in several parts of Balochistan, including an IED attack on a military convoy, an assault on a police station, and a strike on a military headquarters, in which two personnel were killed and two others seriously injured.
In a statement issued to the media, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said that fighters attacked a Pakistani military convoy on April 25 in the Zawah area of Khuzdar while it was travelling between two camps using a remotely controlled IED planted in advance and detonated as the vehicle passed.
In a separate incident, the group said that on April 24, its fighters entered a police station in the Noshki’s Mall area, briefly took control of the building and damaged communication equipment. The group claimed one officer was injured during the confrontation after warning the police officers not to resist.
These latest incidents come against the backdrop of escalating attacks by Baloch militant groups targeting Pakistani military and police forces across Balochistan in recent days, resulting in heavy casualties and damage to the infrastructure.
–IANS
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