Quetta, March 6 (IANS) The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has claimed responsibility for an armed attack in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district that killed three Pakistani soldiers and injured several others, briefly seizing control of Karkh town while targeting multiple government installations during the operation, local media reported on Friday.
In a statement issued to the media, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said that the operation occurred on March 4 involving a coordinated assault by the group’s fighters.
According to the statement, the armed group encircled Karkh from several directions and blocked the town’s entry and exit routes.
The spokesperson stated that BLF fighters launched an attack on a police checkpoint at Moola Cross on the Khuzdar–Ratto Dero section of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route, seizing weapons and equipment from the checkpoint before setting the facility ablaze, The Balochistan Post reported.
He further claimed that the BLF fighters later entered Karkh, taking control of several government buildings, including a police station, a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office, a bank and the office of the Deputy Commissioner—destroying records and state symbols inside these offices and confiscating weapons.
The BLF said that its fighters conducted inspections during roadblocks in the area, detaining several individuals, including a police sub-inspector, Anwar Ali, from Brahmanabad region in Pakistan’s Sindh province. The group added that the detainees were later released following questioning, while an injured police officer was reportedly transported to a hospital.
During the operation, the spokesperson stated that two vehicles transporting marble were damaged, describing it as the exploitation of local resources.
The BLF alleged that Pakistani security forces later attempted to move towards the area, firing mortar shells from a distance, leading to clashes that occurred near Moola Cross, resulting in the deaths of three Pakistani soldiers and injuries to several others.
The group said that its fighters left the town later in the evening after concluding the operation.
This latest incident comes against the backdrop of escalating attacks by Baloch militant groups targeting Pakistani military and police forces across Balochistan in recent days, resulting in heavy casualties and damage to the infrastructure.
–IANS
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