Armed fighters carried out separate attacks on Pakistani forces and installations across several districts of Balochistan, while vehicles transporting minerals were seized and set ablaze in Chagai, local sources said. The fighters opened fire on a convoy in the Nokchah area of Chagai and seized several vehicles before setting them ablaze.
The incident came amid an economic blockade announced by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on major trade routes. Since the announcement, BLA fighters have taken control of key highways at different times across Balochistan, while more than 200 vehicles have reportedly been set ablaze.
In a statement issued by Baloch Republican Guards (BRG), it said its fighters destroyed a 36-inch gas pipeline running from Sui to the Uch Power Plant near RD418 in the Mir Hassan Khan Khoso area of Rabi, Naseerabad district.
The group said the pipeline was destroyed with explosive devices on the night of July 25, adding that its fighters also destroyed another gas pipeline near Rojhan in Punjab in a separate attack.
Separately, a large convoy of Pakistani forces travelling towards Noshki city came under attack on the N-40 highway near Killi Batto. The convoy was accompanied by bulletproof vehicles and police personnel. Local sources reported fatalities among Pakistani forces, although the number could not immediately be confirmed. A police vehicle assigned to the deputy commissioner was also hit, but the deputy commissioner was unharmed, according to a report of The Balochistan Post.
The attack came two days after another military convoy was targeted near Noshki city, killing three personnel and wounding three others.
In Harnai, armed fighters blockaded the highway near Zinda Pir, searched passing vehicles and remained in the area for several hours. They later destroyed the nearby Delkona Levies station and a telecommunications tower in Pan Ghar with explosives.
Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) personnel also came under attack in Kohlu’s Hasri area, with preliminary reports indicating casualties and material losses. In Kharan, armed fighters fired mortar shells at Pakistani forces conducting an operation in the Tazina area. Sources said the forces suffered casualties and retreated.
Meanwhile, the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Pakistani forces, Pakistan Coast Guards positions and gas pipelines across Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab. BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said fighters from the group blocked the main highway in the Mangochar area of Kalat for more than two hours on July 23, conducting snap checks and searching vehicles travelling through the area.
After the blockade ended, Pakistani forces attempted to advance into the area, prompting BLF fighters to attack them with heavy and automatic weapons, the statement said, adding that two military personnel were killed and several others wounded before the remaining forces retreated.
The group also claimed a clash in the Gomazi area of Tump on July 22, saying its fighters were on patrol when Pakistani forces attempted to block their route and encircle them. The BLF said the clash continued for more than an hour, during which five Pakistani military personnel were killed and several others wounded.
In another operation the same day, the group said its fighters set up a blockade on the main highway at Rodinjho in Kalat and searched vehicles.
The statement said Pakistani forces attempted to advance towards the blockade and fired several mortar shells at the fighters’ positions, while BLF units responded with heavy and automatic weapons.
An RPG round struck and severely damaged a Pakistani military vehicle, causing personnel and material losses and forcing the remaining forces to retreat, according to the group.
In a separate statement, Gwahram Baloch claimed responsibility for attacks on Pakistani military and Coast Guards personnel in Buleda, near Karachi and in Pasni.
The BLF spokesperson said the group’s fighters ambushed a two-motorcycle Pakistani military patrol in the Bazpesh area of Buleda on July 23, killing one member of the patrol and seriously wounding another.
On the night of July 21, fighters targeted a Pakistan Coast Guards checkpoint near Hamdard University, between Karachi and Hub Chowki, with a hand grenade, the statement said, adding that one Coast Guards member was killed.
The BLF further said its fighters targeted the main Pakistan Coast Guards camp in Pasni around 10 PM on July 17 with multiple grenade launcher rounds. The group said the camp also houses a radar system and claimed the attack caused losses to personnel and equipment.
Such operations in which mineral carrying vehicles are targeted will continue until the complete independence of Balochistan, statements of various armed rebels fighting for independence from Pakistan said.
