- BLA attacks Balochistan; casualties reported
- Minimal damage to prison, police
- International focus on Balochistan increases
At least six militants and four security personnel were killed in an overnight attack in Balochistan province, southwestern Pakistan.
The provincial information minister, Jan Achakzai, stated on Tuesday that attackers from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) used rockets and gunfire to target military and security installations in the city of Mach, located forty-five kilometres (equivalent to sixty-five miles) from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
The attackers moved to “less secure” areas in response to resistance, focusing their attack on the Mach police station, according to an official who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to talk to the media.
“A clearing operation is currently underway in the city’s outskirts,” he stated. “We are hopeful that, despite the challenging terrain, the mission will be completed by the end of the day.”
The BLA, a banned armed group, claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the attackers “freedom fighters.”
Part of a broader insurgency in Balochistan, Pakistan’s most extensive and least populated province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, the BLA fights for autonomy. Despite its rich natural gas reserves and mineral wealth, the province has the country’s lowest living standards.
Minimal Damage Amid Balochistan Attack
Balochistan’s inspector general for prisons, Shuja Kasi, mentioned that the attack caused minimal damage to the adjacent jail and police station, with 800 inmates, including 90 on death row, remaining unharmed.
“Some doors and windows were broken, and staff quarters used by officials sustained minor damage,” he explained.
Mach resident Iqbal Yousufzai reported a massive explosion around 9:00 p.m. (16:00 GMT) on Monday, followed by nearly twelve hours of gunfire.
“The explosion damaged the windows of my house. Then, firing started and continued intermittently until at least 8 a.m. on Tuesday.”
The decades-old insurgency in Balochistan accuses the Pakistani government of neglect and unfair resource distribution.
Numerous attacks on Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals working in the province for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have prompted a strong response from the Pakistani government.
The security forces are often accused of human rights violations. Including extrajudicial killings and the disappearance of ethnic Baloch suspected of supporting the insurgency.
Escalating Tensions and International Focus
The attack comes amid increased international focus on Balochistan following an Iranian airstrike and a fortnight-long sit-in by Baloch people in Islamabad, the capital.
An Iranian strike inside Pakistani territory last month killed at least two children near Panjgur city in Balochistan. Iran said it targeted another armed group based in the province, Jaish al-Adl.
Pakistan retaliated two days later, killing at least nine “non-Iranians,” according to Iranian media. Islamabad justified its action, claiming “credible intelligence” that Iran was sheltering certain armed groups.
Baloch protests in Islamabad followed the death of a young man accused by state authorities of being an insurgent, a claim his family denied. After Baloch demonstrators in Balochistan saw no progress on their demands, they began a weeks-long sit-in in Islamabad in December.
Security specialists say Baloch rebels may escalate their opposition to Pakistan’s February 8 general elections.
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“Baloch separatists remain the only group consistently targeting party meetings and election campaigns, although these attacks have not gone beyond corner offices and election offices,” said analyst Iftikhar Firdous.
Firdous, the founder editor of The Khorasan Diary, a security news and research portal, said. The timing of the attack is particularly significant.
“The future course of the conflict will be determined by actions at the borders,” Firdous stated. “The BLA’s attack in Pakistan suggests that while countries may strive for diplomatic subtlety, the outcome will ultimately depend on border actions.”
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