Quetta, Nov 16 (IANS ) At least seven Pakistani security personnel were killed and 15 others injured in a targeted attack on a military camp in Kalat area of the country's Balochistan province in the early hours of Saturday. Proscribed militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the strike.
As per details, a large number of BLA militants, heavily armed with ammunition, attacked the main camp of Pakistan military in Shah Mardan area of Kalat in Balochistan. The attack was in response to the ongoing Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) by the Pakistani armed forces in which a large number of militants have been neutralized over the past few days.
The attackers reportedly ambushed the camp, attacking it simultaneously from multiple directions. Pakistan Army's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has not shared any details on the incident. However, local sources in Kalat suggest that the attack was carried out by a large number of militants who stormed the army installation, resulting in casualties of soldiers of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan.
In a statement released to the media, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) spokesperson Jeeyan Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack.
"We claim responsibility for the attack on the Pakistani army camp in Kalat. Fighters of the Baloch Liberation Army attacked the camp of the occupying Pakistani army in Kalat. We accept responsibility for the attack," read a statement issued by the BLA.
Sources say that the number of casualties are expected to rise because of the severity of the militant attack.
Multiple military operations are being carried out against militant groups like the BLA in Balochistan currently.
Recently, Pakistan Army claimed that it has killed at least 12 terrorists in parallel operations in Kech district of Balochistan.
ISPR claimed that it carried out an intelligence-based operation in Kech, killing terrorists along with a high value target of BLA named Sana Baru.
"Sana Baru was a focal recruitment agent, especially suicide bombers, for the so-called Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberaton Army in district Kech and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies," stated ISPR.
It is believed that Saturday's attack is BLA's response to the killing of Baru. Locals in Kalat say that the Pakistan army has been carrying out multiple operations in the area over the past week.
Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) regions have seen a massive surge in violence this year, keeping the armed forces and the law enforcement agencies on their toes and posing a constant threat of chaotic escalation.
As per statistics released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the third quarter (July–September) of the year saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns, with a 90 per cent surge in violence.