Baloch separatist group BLA claims it's killed six Pakistan Army personnel in IED attack

The Print

07-05-2025

The escalation in violence comes a day after Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi sounded the alarm over a deteriorating security situation in Balochistan. In an interview, Abbasi warned that the state was 'rapidly losing control', particularly during night hours. 'In Quetta, even senior government officials cannot move without heavy security. After dark, the state's presence on the ground virtually disappears', he said.
The IED attack, which left five soldiers injured too, targeted a military vehicle moving between the Amir Post and the Ali Khan base Tuesday in the Geshtri area of Bolan, The Balochistan Post reported. Security forces have cordoned off the area, and five helicopters are conducting a search operation now.
New Delhi: Six Pakistan Army personnel, including a major-rank officer, have died in an attack with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Balochistan's Bolan district, said a statement by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has claimed credit for the killings.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi attributed the worsening crisis to the increasing assertiveness of the Baloch armed groups, who now routinely patrol highways, set up checkpoints, and occupy urban areas for extended periods. 'This is not just a breakdown in law and order—it signals a loss of state authority,' he said, pushing back on recent comments from the Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, who claimed the unrest had only 1,500 backers. 'This is a dangerous misreading. The problem is far deeper,' Shahid Khaqan Abbasi added.
The Baloch Liberation Army or BLA, one of the most active separatist outfits in Balochistan, has claimed responsibility for two other attacks this week.
Its fighters Sunday killed Amjad Ababaki, an operative in the Pakistan counter terrorism department, in the Jungle Bagh area of Quetta. The Baloch Liberation Army accused Ababaki of enforced disappearances and torture, including the abuse of minors and elders under the cover of state agencies.
The BLA Friday hit a compound, which, allegedly, was inhabited by a state-backed militia group, known locally as a 'death squad'. The attack, using a grenade launcher, killed a guard on the compound in the Khudabadan area of the Panjgur district.
The BLA has called both attacks part of its broader campaign against what it described as systemic state violence in Balochistan.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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