Pak: Balochistan Army attacks security forces in Turbat, Panjgoor

BALOCHISTAN: The balochistan-liberation-army" Balochistan Liberation Army, a local separatist group, claimed that they had attacked Pakistani officials in two separate areas, causing multiple casualties, The Balochistan Post reported.

In a statement issued by the Baloch Liberation Army, the separatist group claimed the responsibility for targeting a 'facilitator' of the Pakistani security forces in Apsar, Turbat. The group also said that they have collected information regarding a 'non-native' person, identified as Babu Khan, who was spying on Baloch activists and nationalists in Turbat and its environs.

BLA said the alleged facilitator was spotted accompanying Pakistani forces on multiple occasions. The group said that its fighters shot the alleged "facilitator" dead in an attack in Apsar, according to The Balochistan Post.

The group reiterated its warning that the people working at the behest of Pakistani security forces would not be spared.

In a separate development, the Pakistani security forces were targeted in a separate attack in Panjgoor. The Balochistan Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that its fighters hurled a hand grenade inside an FC checkpoint on Kalam Chowk in the Chatkan area of Panjgoor.

BLF said the checkpoint was destroyed and the forces sustained several casualties, reported The Balochistan Post.

Recently, the residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a surge in assassinations, frequent violence, and killings by myriad terrorist groups. And recently, the province has been the site of an ongoing conflict between the Pakistani military and various militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Geo-Politik reported.

Notably, TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, was formed in 2007 as an umbrella organization for various militant groups operating in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

The insurgency by TTP has led to thousands of innocent citizens being killed and millions displaced in the region, according to Geo-Politik.

The TTP has also been used to counter the influence of other militant groups that are seen as a threat to the Pakistan Army’s interests.

According to Geo-Politik citing several media reports that the Pakistan Army has provided training, weapons, and other forms of assistance to the TTP and other militant groups operating in the region. Additionally, there are also claims that the army has turned a blind eye to the activities of these groups, allowing them to operate with impunity in certain areas. This has further contributed to the rising insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and has had a destabilizing effect on the region.

Frustrated by the Pakistani army’s incapability, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness, people, on the regular basis, come out on street and protested against terrorism and the Pakistani state’s total failure to curb them.