At least five Pakistani Army personnel, including a Major, were killed in a bomb blast targeting an army convoy in Balochistan’s Chamalang area on May 13, authorities and local sources said. The slain officer was identified as Major Tauseef Ahmed Bhatti.
According to local sources, armed men targeted a vehicle in the army convoy with an improvised explosive device before carrying out an ambush. Authorities confirmed five deaths, while local sources said the toll could rise, according to The Balochistan Post.
Chamalang is located in a mineral-rich part of Balochistan where Pakistani forces and mineral extraction companies have previously been targeted by Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups. Most Baloch rebel groups say that the local Baloch are not given jobs here and people from Punjab as also Sindh are brought in. On some occasions, the non-local workers have been targeted in order to create fear among them.
A tactic now being used by the Pakistani Federal government and the Army is not to give details regarding own casualties. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Army, gives details only regarding fatal casualties and injuries to rebels. The casualties of the security forces are brushed under the carpet and the ISPR maintains silence.
Due to this tactical silence observed by the ISPR, most mainline newspapers of Pakistan avoid covering news regarding casualties among the security forces. However, reports of some attacks get carried by these newspapers much later after they have appeared on social media platforms.
No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack leading to the death of a Major and four soldiers so far.
Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks targeting Pakistani security forces, police personnel and communications infrastructure in different parts of Balochistan. In a statement issued to the media, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the group’s fighters carried out an ambush on a Pakistani military convoy on May 10 in the Baincha area of Surab along the RCD Highway.
According to the statement, rockets, light machine guns and other automatic weapons were used in the attack while the convoy was travelling between military camps. The BLF claimed that two military vehicles were heavily damaged, five soldiers were killed and four others injured.
The spokesperson further stated that reinforcements from a nearby checkpoint attempted to advance towards the scene shortly after the attack but were forced to retreat following further clashes with BLF fighters. The military has not publicly commented on the claims.
In a separate incident, the BLF claimed responsibility for an attack on a Frontier Corps (FC) checkpoint located on the main bridge in the Tagazzi area of Kharan on May 10. The group alleged that rockets, grenade launchers and automatic weapons were used in the assault, resulting in the deaths of two FC personnel and injuries to three others.
The group also claimed that its fighters targeted a communications tower equipped with surveillance equipment in the Malaar Damb area of Kolwah on 7 May. According to the statement, the tower was disabled and related machinery was set on fire.
The BLF further alleged that Pakistani forces’ personnel from a nearby military camp attempted to surround the attackers following the operation, leading to an exchange of fire in which the group claimed Pakistani forces suffered casualties before withdrawing.
