Quetta, Nov 2 — Pakistani forces came under a wave of attacks in Balochistan on Monday, with armed fighters targeting personnel in Nushki and an explosion striking a military vehicle in Kharan district, causing severe casualties, local media reported, citing sources.
The armed fighters targeted personnel travelling on foot and in vehicles in Nushki' s Ahmad Wal area, while an explosion struck a military vehicle in Kharan, with local sources claiming that mines laid across the area were restricting the movement of security forces.
The attacks came a day after intense clashes in Kharan’s Lijay area, where eight Pakistani military personnel were reportedly killed or wounded after a military vehicle was hit by a blast, followed by further fighting. A quadcopter was also shot down during the clashes.
Meanwhile, no organisation had claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, The Balochistan Post reported.
Furthermore, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for killing over 129 Pakistani military and intelligence personnel and seriously injuring more than 30 others during 25 operations in October this year across Balochistan.
In its monthly report released on Sunday, spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said that the October attacks also included “Operation Almas” in Gwadar district, during which the group claimed to have killed over 80 military and intelligence personnel and injured dozens.
The BLF said that military barracks, intelligence facilities and armoured vehicles were among the infrastructure and equipment destroyed in Gwadar, while a police station was captured.
The group also reported carrying out assaults on seven military positions, six camps, two intelligence facilities and 11 convoys throughout October, alongside three highway closures.
The BLF further claimed that 14 military vehicles, two surveillance drones, five quadcopters, a surveillance camera and a mobile tower were destroyed.
It also reported destroying 15 commercial trailers and trucks that it accused of being associated with state projects, while claiming to have seized a government vehicle.
Separately, the Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) claimed that its fighters captured the main Pakistani military camp in Sanni region of Kachhi district, on Sunday morning following a series of attacks.
“Freedom fighters gained complete control of the camp and killed 12 enemy personnel,” spokesperson Dostain Baloch said in a statement, adding that the remaining troops fled the area.
He further claimed that Sanni town, its police station and several government buildings were also brought under their control during the operation.
The group also claimed responsibility on Monday for blowing up a gas pipeline near Bala Chowk in Rahim Yar Khan district of Pakistan's Punjab province, with the explosion taking place on Sunday night.
According to Dostain Baloch, the fighters planted explosives on the 36-inch pipeline transporting gas from Sui in Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district to Punjab, causing extensive damage.