The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the deaths of more than 30 Pakistani soldiers in an attack targeting PNS Siddique, the second-largest naval air station in Pakistan situated in Turbat. Additionally, the group issued a warning to China regarding what it deems as "illegal" settlements and projects in Balochistan.
In a released statement, the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army announced the successful conclusion of the fifth phase of "Operation ZirPahazag." This operation aimed to retaliate against what the group perceives as ongoing genocide in Balochistan and to thwart what it views as Chinese "occupation and exploitation" in the region.
According to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, the attack on PNS Siddique commenced at ten o'clock on Monday night, lasting until morning. The operation allegedly resulted in the deaths of over thirty enemy soldiers, achieving its objectives. However, local media reports from Islamabad suggest that one paramilitary soldier was killed in the attack, while security forces claimed to have neutralized all five attackers in retaliatory action.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) labeled the attackers as "terrorists" who attempted to strike PNS Siddique in Turbat, but their efforts were "foiled" by the swift and effective response of the troops.
Baloch confirmed the deaths of four Majeed Brigade fighters during the operation: Ayub alias Doda, Khalif alias Islam, Wajid alias Nodan, and Murad alias Farhad. These fighters managed to breach the security barricades of PNS Siddique, neutralizing one enemy bunker and destroying two enemy drones before martyring themselves when their ammunition ran out.
The statement issued by BLA also included a stern warning directed at China regarding its involvement in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Balochistan. The group accused China of colluding with Pakistan to exploit Baloch resources and suppress the Baloch movement through military and economic support to the occupying Pakistani Army.
The BLA emphasized that unless China halts its exploitative activities in Balochistan and ceases its support for the Pakistani army's alleged genocide, it reserves the right to launch severe attacks on illegal Chinese settlements and projects in the region.
These developments coincide with a suicide attack on five Chinese nationals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Besham city in Shangla district. The attack targeted a vehicle carrying Chinese engineers headed to the Dasu camp in Kohistan from Islamabad. Dasu is the location of a significant hydroelectric dam being constructed by the China Gezhouba Group Company, which has been targeted in previous attacks.
The safety of Chinese workers has been a persistent concern in Pakistan, evidenced by previous BLA operations such as 'Operation Dara-e-Bolan' in Mach and Bolan regions of Balochistan and the recent attack on the Military Intelligence headquarters in Gwadar on March 20th.
Established in 2011, the Baloch Liberation Army remains one of the most active separatist groups operating in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which is strategically important due to its abundant natural resources.
Read also | Solution cannot be found on battlefield, Jaishankar's Stance on Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Read also | High Court Approval: Nirav Modi's Prestigious London Flat Cleared for Sale
