QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN: The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) paid “red salutes” to fighter Hashum and claimed responsibility for 13 operations in October in which it said 28 personnel of “occupying army” were killed and several wounded. It also claimed that weapons were seized from police and that drone surveillance cameras and army vehicles were destroyed.
In a statement issued to the media, spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said fighters of the BLF’s KAAD and Qurban units carried out an operation on October 28 in Meenaz, Buleda. According to the statement, they set up an effective blockade on two sides of Meenaz Bazaar and conducted snap checks of vehicles. At the same time, the group said, they attacked the army camp in Alandoor with heavy and automatic weapons. It claimed that multiple rocket and grenade-launcher rounds hit their intended targets, causing heavy human and material losses to the army inside the camp.
The group said that during the operation a surveillance camera installed at the camp and a quadcopter were destroyed by gunfire, while a sniper tactical team stayed in a protective position. It said a four-vehicle convoy sent as reinforcement was ambushed at Bit, killing four personnel and wounding several and that two of the vehicles were completely destroyed. The statement said another army detachment tried to advance from the city’s rear route, but KAAD and Qurban unit fighters counterattacked at once and halted it. It claimed that three more personnel were killed and several wounded in that clash.
The BLF said Qurban unit fighter Hashum, also known as Noor Baloch, son of Muhammad Umar and a resident of Absar Bund Bazaar in Turbat, fought in the front ranks and held back the army’s advance. The group claimed that his “unparalleled courage and resistance” forced the army to retreat and that the destroyed vehicles and bodies lay at the site of the attack for a long time.
According to the statement, Hashum joined the BLF in 2023. It said he served for more than a year as an urban guerrilla in Turbat, which it described as a sensitive city, inflicting human and material losses on the army. It said he played an active role in the organization’s intelligence unit and that several important missions were carried out on the information he provided. The group said that in 2024, by organizational decision, he moved to the mountain front.
The statement said that the state subjected his family to collective punishment to force him to abandon the struggle. It claimed the Pakistani army attacked his house twice with grenades, that his elder brother had forcibly disappeared and that his parents were forced to hold a press conference. The group said none of this made him step back and that he kept “the banner of freedom high until his last breath.” It said his struggle and steadfastness would be a guiding light for his fellow fighters, whom it calls “sarmachars.”
The BLF described him as a sincere and committed fighter who served in various parts of Balochistan, including Turbat, Zamuran, Balgatar, Panjgur, Parom and Hoshab. It said he took part as a front-line fighter in several important BLF and BRAS engagements. The statement credited him with a key role in the capture of an army camp at Goran, Panjgur, under BRAS, as a front-line fighter, and in the capture of the camp at Balgatar, as a light machine gun (LMG) operator.
During the joint mission of KAAD, the Qurban unit and the Sniper Tactical Team in Minaz, Buleda, on October 28, the group said Hashum stayed on the front line and fought the army from close range. It said that after he brought all his comrades safely out of the enemy’s encirclement, he attained martyrdom. The BLF said it offers red salutes with reverence and respect to his “ultimate sacrifice” and vowed to carry his mission to its destination.
On October 31, the group said its fighters shot a soldier posted on a nearby mountain in Mal, in the Jan Baig area of Nushki, with a sniper rifle, killing him on the spot.
On October 28, it said fighters ambushed an army convoy advancing for an operation in Blour, Kolwah, killing four soldiers and wounding several.
On October 27, the BLF said its fighters ambushed a vehicle in an army convoy advancing into the Omar Daro area of Mastung for a military operation. It said the army suffered human and material losses.
On October 25, it said fighters attacked a Frontier Corps camp in Tejaban Karki, Kech, with heavy and automatic weapons. The group said the attack set the security post on fire and caused casualties and property damage.
On October 19, the group said it targeted army personnel providing security for road construction at Ahori, in the Tirtee area of Awaran, killing two personnel and wounding one.
On October 18, it said fighters ambushed an army convoy in the Mandho area of Jhao. It said they first killed soldiers on foot, then targeted the vehicles, killing five personnel in total and wounding several others, who it claimed were later flown to camp by helicopter.
On October 16, the BLF said its fighters were on an organizational patrol in Kulaho, in the Jalibar area of Tump, when they came across an army unit and a clash followed. It said the army suffered casualties.
On October 15, it said fighters shot at the machinery of a Ufone tower in the Uch Power area of Dera Murad Jamali, then set it on fire, and that the machinery was completely destroyed.
On October 14, the group said it carried out an IED attack on soldiers on foot who were clearing the route for an army convoy in the Hajika area of Surab, killing two personnel. It said fighters then ambushed the convoy, killing one more and wounding two.
On October 10, the BLF said its fighters attacked a police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) patrol convoy at Rubi on the main highway in Dera Murad Jamali city, and that police and CTD suffered losses.
Also on October 10, it said fighters and police clashed within the limits of Balan Shakh Sadar police station in Dera Murad Jamali. It said two police personnel, whom it identified as Ahmed Lashari and Malik Bugti, were killed and their weapons seized.
On October 8, the group said its fighters attacked the army at two locations in Splinji while it was changing shifts and sending personnel on leave. It said they first targeted a large convoy heading to the Splinji camp, killing two and wounding several. It said a second attack came at 6 p.m. the same day, when the same convoy passed through Maro, killing two more and wounding three personnel.
The BLF said it claims responsibility for all of these operations. The statement was issued by Major Gwahram Baloch, spokesperson for the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
