Quetta. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Thursday claimed that its fighters carried out 21 armed operations in Balochistan between September 23 and 29, in which 16 Pakistani Army soldiers were killed.
The organization has also rejected the Pakistani Army’s claim that more than 71 fighters were killed during recent operations.
BLA spokesperson Ziand Baloch described the Pakistan Army’s figures as “completely fabricated and contrary to the ground reality”.
He alleged that the Army was releasing such figures to hide the damage caused by attacks on its bases. However, these claims have not been independently verified.
The BLA also rejected allegations linking its organization to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed groups.
The organization said it has no organizational, ideological or operational links with any other organization or group except Baloch Raji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS).
Describing itself as an independent organization, the BLA said that its objective is to protect the resources of Balochistan and establish an independent, secular and sovereign Balochistan.
According to the BLA, an army camp was attacked at Tus But in Daghari area of Quetta on 25 September. The organization claimed that nine soldiers were killed and more than seven were injured in the attack. BLA also admitted that one of its fighters, Ghulam Nabi Baloch alias Bolani, was killed in this action.
At the same time, the organization claimed that the next day Pakistani soldiers advancing in the area were ambushed and two vehicles were targeted.
Apart from this, it was also claimed to have fired rockets on the army camp at Spalingji in Mastung on September 25, attacked a military convoy on the RCD Highway in Wadh on September 26 and killed two soldiers in an army camp at Gidar in Surab.
Apart from this, it was also claimed that two soldiers were killed and a bridge was destroyed in the blast that targeted the bomb disposal squad in Soro, Manguchar on September 28.
The organization said it targeted several highways and bridges in its actions. According to the BLA, a bridge was destroyed at Sotgakan on the Quetta-Kharan highway on September 26.
Another bridge on the same route and a post used by the Pakistani Army at Kali Karim Bakhsh were also claimed to have been damaged.
The CPEC route between Tejaban and Hoshab was also blocked and vehicles searched for several hours, the BLA said. On September 29, blockades were also claimed to have been imposed at Dali and Gwargan on the Kharan-Quetta road.
The organization described these actions as part of its alleged “economic blockade”. There were also claims of capturing a commercial vehicle in Nokchah of Chagai on September 27 and firing on a vehicle carrying minerals and setting it on fire the next day.
The BLA also claimed responsibility for the killing of four people in separate incidents. The organization claimed the killing of a man named Ahsan in Shadikaur, Pasni on September 23 and described him as an alleged operative of the Pakistani Military Intelligence Agency (MI).
The killing of Abdul Wahab was also claimed in Dasht area of Tarbat on 25 September. The BLA alleged that he worked for the Pakistani Army and operated networks for it at the local level.
At the same time, on September 28, a claim was made of murder of Sudais and Junaid in Barshonki of Kharan. The BLA alleged that both were members of so-called “death squads” linked to Pakistani military intelligence and were involved in surveillance and infiltration activities against Baloch armed organizations.
The BLA claimed that the two were first detained and later released, after which they allegedly again came in contact with people associated with military intelligence.