Balochistan: Reports of armed confrontations, blasts and assaults on security facilities surfaced from several districts of Balochistan early on Saturday, January 31, soon after the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) declared it had initiated the second phase of “Operation Herof”, according to a report by The Balochistan Post (TBP). The outfit had earlier stated briefly that the new phase was being launched to “protect the motherland”. Residents described the security environment as extremely tense in Quetta, Nushki, Kalat, Mastung, Dalbandin, Kharan, Gwadar, Pasni, Tump, Buleda and Dhadar, with reports of intense gunfire, explosions and assaults on police and military locations, TBP reported.
In Quetta, residents reported firing and explosions in multiple areas, including the highly sensitive Red Zone. On Sariab Road, armed attackers targeted a police mobile, killing two personnel and torching the vehicle, residents said. Gunfire was also reported from the direction of the railway station. Separate visuals circulating from Quetta showed a Pakistani forces’ vehicle destroyed. In Nushki, heavy firing was heard near the Central Jail. Some unverified local reports claimed BLA fighters had seized control of sections of the facility. Confrontations were also reported near the Frontier Corps headquarters in Nushki, where residents described hours of continuous firing and explosions.
Dozens of armed individuals reportedly entered Dhadar city and assaulted police positions, setting multiple police vehicles ablaze. Local sources said several officers were injured. In Kalat, an explosion struck the main gate of a forces’ camp. Residents said a vehicle loaded with explosives was used to breach the installation, adding that armed clashes were ongoing. Gunfire and explosions were also reported in Dalbandin, where locals said confrontations took place near military facilities, TBP reported. Similar accounts of armed activity and explosions were received from Kharan, Pasni, Gwadar, Tump and Buleda.
The scale of the clashes remained unclear. In a new statement sent to media outlets, the BLA said it had launched “simultaneous, coordinated attacks” in Quetta, Nushki, Mastung, Dalbandin, Kalat, Kharan, Gwadar, Pasni, Tump and Buleda as part of the second phase of “Operation Herof”. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group had targeted “military and administrative structures”, restricted the movement of “enemy forces” and “pushed back” troops in several areas. The statement said “Fidayeen attacks” were carried out against army and ISI camps in Quetta, Pasni, Gwadar, Noshki and Dalbandin, claiming that the group’s Majeed Brigade had “successfully entered army camps and captured large sections of them”, with “intense fighting” continuing.
It said attacks along the Coastal Highway had disrupted military logistics, adding that BLA units, including the Fateh Squad, the Majeed Brigade, the intelligence wing ZIRAB and the Special Tactical Operations Squad (STOS) were operating jointly across different districts. The BLA said “dozens” of military personnel had been “neutralised” so far, adding that more details would be released to the media soon, TBP report highlighted. In a separate message released through the BLA’s media wing, Hakkal, the group’s commander-in-chief Bashir Zeb Baloch, urged the Baloch public to “come out of their homes and fight against Pakistani forces”.
“This struggle does not belong to any single individual but to collective consciousness”, he said. “When a nation stands united, the enemy cannot avoid defeat despite its power. The Baloch nation is urged to step out and become part of Operation Herof”, said the BLA. The latest conflict reflects the spiking rift between Balochistan and Islamabad and the highly fractured inernal political stability of Pakistan.
(With Inputs from ANI)
