— 15 BNA militants neutralised, seven troops martyred
— Online security intelligence portal claims five attackers surrendered
— Minister says attack ‘successfully repulsed’
ISLAMABAD: The “brave” military drew praise from Prime Minister Imran Khan for stemming twin terror attacks on two security checkpoints near the porous border with Iran in Balochistan late Wednesday night.
Armed assailants targeted two posts hours apart in remote districts of Panjgur and Naushki, triggering intense firefights that entered Thursday and killed at least 15 attackers and martyred seven soldiers, two separate updates by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said.
Later, the newly-formed militant Balochistan Nationalist Army (BNA) group claimed responsibility for the attacks in a post on Twitter.
The first of the two attacks happened in Panjgur, according to the military statement. It said a soldier died in the exchange of fire there.
Hours later, assailants tried to sneak into a security camp in Naushki, but troops foiled the attempt and killed four militants. One soldier was also wounded in the attack, the military said.
It said intermittent exchange of fire has continued.
In a tweet he sent out Thursday, the prime minister said: “We salute our brave security forces who repulsed terrorist attacks against security forces’ camps… The nation stands united behind our security forces who continue to give great sacrifices to protect us.”
We salute our brave security forces who repulsed terrorist attacks against security forces’ camps in Panjgur & Naushki, Balochistan. The nation stands united behind our security forces who continue to give great sacrifices to protect us.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 3, 2022
In an update on the number of terrorists killed in attacks, Ahmed said “nine terrorists were killed and four soldiers martyred” in Naushki, whereas six assailants died in Panjgur.
“The terrorists were repulsed from both points and the Pakistan Army kept alive its tradition [of defeating militancy]. A few — four to five people — are surrounded by them [the forces] in Panjgur which they will defeat,” he said in a video message he posted on Twitter.
3 جنوری2022
پنجگوراورنوشکی میں سکیورٹی فورسزکے کیمپوں پردہشت گردحملوں
پر اہم پیغام جاری.@OfficialDGISPR @GovtofPakistan @PTVNewsOfficial pic.twitter.com/q4wcxuw6XT— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) February 3, 2022
“This is a great success that the military has achieved in its fight against terrorism.”
“I pay tribute to the determination and courage of the security forces in eradicating the menace of terrorism,” he said, adding Pakistan’s security agencies would never allow militants to succeed in their nefarious designs.
According to South Asia Index, an online portal observing terrorism instances in the region, five militants also surrendered.
BLA attacks on paramilitary forces camps in Noshki & Panjgur, Balochistan:
• 15 BLA militants killed
• 5 BLA militants surrendered
• 4 paramilitary soliders killedAttacks were part of BLA’s recent offensive against security forces in Balochistan province.
— South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) February 3, 2022
Balochistan has been on the scene of numerous militant attacks in recent months. The little-known BNA was established last month when two minor militant groups — the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA) and the United Baloch Army (UBA) — merged and vowed to continue attacks.
The latest violence comes a week after militants martyred 10 soldiers in an attack on a security post in the town of Kech in Balochistan.
Since 2018, splintering, infightings and defections have given way to mergers, reunifications and alliance-making across the ideological spectrum.
For instance, in 2018, four Baloch militant groups — the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) of Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, Gulzar Imam faction of BRA, Bashir Zeb faction of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baloch Republican Guard (BRG) of Bakhtiar Domki — merged to form the Baloch Raji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS).
Subsequently, in July 2020, BRAS allied with the Sindhi ethnic-nationalist group, the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA), against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Likewise, since August 2020, more than 11 militant factions rejoined the Afghanistan-based Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistani has ramped up operations against various militant groups as part of an effort to stave off potential security threats stemming from the withdrawal of foreign forces from neighbouring Afghanistan in August last year.
