Quetta, Oct 29 (IANS) Pakistani forces and government-backed elements, including the 'death squads' outsourced by the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies, have suffered heavy casualties during armed attacks carried out on them in various areas of Balochistan province, local media reported on Thursday.
The attacks were carried out in Basima, Panjgur, and Turbat, Balochistan Post reported citing local sources.
"Armed men ambushed a convoy of forces near the Sajid area of Basima yesterday. According to local sources, the forces suffered casualties and two vehicles were also severely damaged in the attack. Sources further said that clashes continued in the area for more than two hours, while helicopters later arrived to reinforce the forces," the report mentioned.
It added that a convoy of forces was also targeted in an armed attack in the Gwargo area of Panjgur on Wednesday when three vehicles of the Pakistani forces were passing through the area.
"Authorities have not released any details about casualties in the attacks. Additionally, this morning, gunmen targeted members of the Pakistani army-backed 'Death Squad' in the Noduz area of Turbat. Firing was heard for a long time in the area. No details have yet been received regarding casualties in the incident," the report mentioned.
Earlier this week, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for killing over 80 Pakistani military and intelligence personnel in a series of attacks targeting a Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) camp and other military and police installations in Balochistan’s Gwadar district.
In a statement, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the fatalities during the group’s 'Operation Almas' included a Military Intelligence (MI) captain, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers and Special Services Group (SSG) personnel. He also claimed that dozens of others sustained serious injuries, The Balochistan Post reported.
According to Gwahram Baloch, the operation was launched on October 22, when the group carried out a vehicle-borne suicide attack at the entrance of the FWO camp. The explosion blew up the main gate and nearby positions, allowing other fighters to enter the compound, he said.
The spokesperson claimed that after entering the FWO premises, the fighters stormed an ISI office, killing an officer and five other personnel. In a separate clash at another office, six Military Intelligence (MI) personnel, including a captain, were killed, he added.
The fighters subsequently targeted a multi-storey residential barracks and took up positions inside the building, according to the statement. “In total, 21 personnel were killed in the fighting in these barracks,” Gwahram Baloch said.
He said that Pakistani forces engaged in nine more clashes overnight while attempting to regain control of the compound, followed by mortar and artillery fire.
The spokesperson claimed that a fresh military offensive involving additional troops and armoured vehicles the following morning was also repelled, leaving around 13 personnel dead and two armoured vehicles destroyed.
According to the statement, the fighters shot down four quadcopters and two surveillance drones during the operation. It also claimed that the group’s sniper team killed six Pakistani military personnel over the course of the operation.
“The FWO and other so-called development institutions are in fact the commercial and military arms of this occupying army, used to loot our resources, guard international exploitative companies and change our demography,” said Gwahram Baloch.
He said the organisation was “not against any outside power or country”, but opposed Pakistan’s control over Balochistan and what it described as the exploitation of the region’s coastline and natural resources.
Baloch said that the group would continue to target the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Reko Diq, Saindak and other projects in Balochistan.
He warned that any project undertaken in Pakistan without the consent of the Baloch people would be vulnerable to attacks, adding that foreign institutions would bear responsibility for their losses.
--IANS
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