Foiled Attack: Baloch Militants Target Pak Naval Base
<p>In Quetta, a band of armed Baloch insurgents attempted an incursion into a prominent naval air base situated in the volatile Balochistan province of Pakistan, yet vigilant security personnel thwarted their assault, resulting in the demise of at least six militants. The incident unfolded during the nocturnal hours on Monday within Turbat, a tumultuous district […]</p>
Foiled Attack: Baloch Militants Target Pak Naval Base
In Quetta, a band of armed Baloch insurgents attempted an incursion into a prominent naval air base situated in the volatile Balochistan province of Pakistan, yet vigilant security personnel thwarted their assault, resulting in the demise of at least six militants.
The incident unfolded during the nocturnal hours on Monday within Turbat, a tumultuous district nestled in the scarcely inhabited province. According to Makran Commissioner Saeed Ahmed Umrani, the security forces successfully repelled an armed terrorist onslaught targeting the PNS Siddique Naval Air Base, which stands as one of the nation’s largest naval aviation facilities.
The assailants launched their attack from three different flanks of the airport perimeter, only to encounter swift and decisive countermeasures from security forces, thus impeding their efforts to breach the compound, Umrani elucidated.
Throughout the night, witnesses recounted hearing volleys of gunfire and detonations echoing in the vicinity. An anonymous security official disclosed that six militants met their demise during the operation, failing to inflict any harm upon the airbase or its aircraft fleet.
No significant damage to critical naval installations was reported, the official confirmed. The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) asserted responsibility, attributing the assault to its Majeed Brigade.
This marks the third consequential assault on security forces and strategic installations in Balochistan this year, all claimed by the BLA, with the preceding two encounters also being successfully repulsed by security personnel.
Earlier in the year, security forces came under attack in Mach town, resulting in the loss of at least ten lives, though attempts to breach the Mach penitentiary were thwarted by security forces.
On March 24, the BLA claimed accountability for an assault targeting the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. Security forces engaged in a confrontation with militants, resulting in the demise of eight members of the proscribed separatist group.
Balochistan, sharing borders with Iran and Afghanistan, has been plagued by a longstanding violent insurgency. Various Baloch insurgent factions have perpetrated numerous assaults targeting the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiatives.
The BLA alleges exploitation of the province’s resource-rich terrain by both China and Islamabad, an accusation vehemently refuted by the authorities. Notably, the BLA’s Majeed Brigade, established in 2011, serves as a particularly formidable guerrilla unit within the organization.
There are allegations suggesting that the brigade maintains hideouts along the Pak-Iran border region. Predominantly targeting security personnel and Chinese interests within Pakistan, the brigade, identified as the BLA’s suicide unit, also claimed responsibility for the April 2022 suicide bombing outside the Confucius Institute at Karachi University.
