QUETTA: The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated attacks targeting Pakistani forces in the Apsi Kahan area on the outskirts of Tump, as well as a separate attack on gas transport vehicles in Turbat.
In a statement issued by BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch, the group said that on March 8, its fighters carried out an organized operation against occupying Pakistani forces in the Apsi Kahan region.
According to the statement, the operation began when multiple units of BLF fighters surrounded two military posts at a key checkpoint known as “Papa One”, located at the junction of Apsi Kahan and Shepchaar. The attack was reportedly carried out using B-10 rockets, 82mm mortars, sniper rifles, rockets, light machine guns, and grenade launchers.
The BLF claimed that during the first phase of the assault, six military personnel were killed and several others injured, while the checkpoint sustained significant damage. The fighting reportedly continued for nearly an hour.
The group further stated that in the second phase of the operation, its fighters expanded the attack and simultaneously targeted three additional military checkpoints referred to as “Papa Two”, located in the central area of Shepchaar. According to the statement, automatic weapons and heavy mortar shells were used, resulting in the deaths of five more personnel and injuries to several others.
The statement also said that Pakistani forces deployed a quadcopter drone to identify the positions of BLF fighters, but the drone was shot down and destroyed by the group during the clashes.
BLF claimed that later, when a military unit was moving between Abduie and Shepchaar to retrieve casualties from the earlier attack, its fighters carried out an ambush using an improvised explosive device (IED). The group said the explosion destroyed a military vehicle and killed four additional personnel.
In a separate incident on March 9, BLF fighters reportedly targeted two gas bowser vehicles near the Jusak–Buleda Cross area of Turbat. According to the statement, the fighters first burst the vehicles’ tires and then set them on fire. The vehicles were reportedly transporting gas intended for industrial use in Punjab.
Overall, the BLF claimed that 15 personnel were killed during the coordinated attacks in the Apsi Kahan area and that military equipment was destroyed.
In the statement, the group reiterated that it would continue its attacks against Pakistani forces until what it described as the liberation of Balochistan.
