Analog image (ANI)
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the deadly commando (suicide commando) attack on a Pakistan Coast Guard camp in Banawan area of Jiwani in Gwadar.
The separatist group claimed that more than 30 Pakistani security personnel were killed and several others injured in the attack, Balochistan Post reported.According to the report, the attack took place on Friday evening and was carried out by the elite Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army. The group claimed that a suicide bomber, identified as Ataullah Baloch alias Ajmal, drove an explosives-laden Mazda truck into the heavily guarded Coast Guard camp at around 6.32pm (local time), causing a massive explosion.In an official statement, Balochistan Liberation Army spokesman Jiand Baloch said: “As a result of this powerful explosion, the entire fortified colonial camp of the Coast Guard was turned into a pile of rubble.”The Balochistan Liberation Army’s media wing, HAKAL, also released a 43-second video purporting to show the truck filled with explosives entering the camp just before the explosion. The group later said that footage showed the destruction of a large part of the camp.
The Balochistan Liberation Army said that the truck bombing was followed by a coordinated ground attack by its Fatah Division.“Immediately after the attack, our organization’s vanguard unit, the Fatah Division, advanced quickly and in an organized manner and launched an attack on the destroyed camp from all sides,” the Balochistan Liberation Army’s statement said.The group claimed that its fighters then clashed with the surviving Coast Guard members in close combat and killed more than 30 security personnel during the operation.The Balochistan Liberation Army spokesman added: “Given the critical condition of the wounded and personnel trapped under the rubble, a further increase in enemy casualties is very likely.”The Balochistan Liberation Army said that it would soon publish a detailed report on the attack through its official channels. The banned group also said that its armed campaign against Pakistani security forces would continue “with the same intensity” until it achieves what it called “complete independence for Balochistan.”The Pakistani army and government have not yet issued an official statement confirming the casualty figures or the extent of damage announced by the Balochistan Liberation Army.