This image made out of Google Maps locates Tubat in Balochistan Province of Pakistan.

Armed Baloch militants tried to infiltrate one of the main naval air bases in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan Province, but security forces foiled the attack and killed at least six terrorists.

The attack on March 25 night took place in Turbat, a turbulent district in the sparsely populated Province.

Makran Commissioner Saeed Ahmed Umrani told the media that security forces had foiled an armed terrorist attack at the PNS Siddique Naval Air Base which is among the biggest naval air stations in the country.

“The armed men attacked from three sides of the airport boundary, but security forces responded immediately and foiled their attempt to infiltrate the premises,” he said.

Eyewitnesses reported they had heard gunfire and explosions throughout the night.

A security official said on condition of anonymity that six terrorists were killed in the operation and they were unable to cause any damage at the airbase or to aeroplanes.

No loss of sensitive naval installations was reported, the official said.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed that its Majeed Brigade was behind the attack.

This is the third major attack on security forces and installations this year in Balochistan claimed by the BLA with the first two attacks being also being repulsed by security forces.

Earlier in the year, security forces were attacked in Mach town in which at least ten people were killed but attempts to breach the Mach jail were thwarted by security forces.

On March 24, the BLA also claimed responsibility for an attack on the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. Security forces had killed eight militants of the banned separatist group in the gunfire.

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the $60 billion CPEC projects.

The BLA accuses China and Islamabad of exploitation of the resource-rich Province, a charge rejected by the authorities.

BLA’s Majeed Brigade, which was formed in 2011, is a particularly lethal guerilla cell of the BLA.

It has been alleged that the group also maintains sanctuaries in areas along the Pakistan-Iran border.

The brigade, which is the suicide squad of the BLA, mostly targets security forces and Chinese interests in Pakistan. It had also claimed responsibility for the April 2022 suicide attack outside the Karachi University’s Confucius Institute.

A general view of Gwadar port, Pakistan.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

 

 Baloch insurgents armed with automatic assault weapons stormed the Gwadar Port Authority complex in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on March 20, but security forces foiled the attack and claimed killing at least seven militants.

The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is opposed to China’s investments in Balochistan and accuses China and Pakistan of exploitation of the resource-rich province, a charge rejected by the authorities.

Gwadar Senior Superintendent of Police Zohaib Mohsin told the media that “seven attackers have been killed and the firing has stopped”.

Commissioner Makran Division Saeed Ahmed Umrani confirmed the attack and said the attackers entered the Gwadar Port Authority building and the clearing operation was going on. Earlier, local media reported that eight terrorists were killed in clashes. So far there was no word on killing any security person or civilian.

The United Nations Department for Safety and Security said in a statement that seven personnel from three UN agencies based in Gwadar and two UN agencies on missions were “safe and accounted for”.

The Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack. It is the suicide squad of the BLA and mostly targets security forces and Chinese interests.

Named after a guard of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was killed while attempting to assassinate him, it was formed in 2011. Mr. Bhutto had initiated an operation against miscreants in the province in the 1970s.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti hailed security agencies for their response against the attackers, saying that “the message is loud and clear.” He added that “whosoever chooses to use violence will see no mercy from the State.”

Insurgency in Balochistan

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

Thousands of Chinese personnel are working in Pakistan on several projects being carried out under the aegis of the CPEC.

Balochistan faces a double threat by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch militants.

The attack comes on a day when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserted that his government will not tolerate any acts of cross-border terrorism.

The incidents of terrorism have increased in Pakistan since the Taliban took over the government in Kabul, dashing hopes in Islamabad that a friendly government in Afghanistan would help to tackle militancy.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.