Pakistan-based BLF says no fighters killed in attack
The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), an armed group operating in Pakistan, says it “has no hideouts in Iran” and none of “our Saramchar [fighters] was martyred in the recent attacks by Pakistan”.
As we reported earlier, the Pakistan army said “hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front were successfully struck” on Thursday morning.
The BLF has conducted frequent attacks on Pakistani forces as well as on projects operating under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Pakistani attack targeted ‘hideouts used by terrorist organisations’
The Pakistani military says the strikes carried out in Iran on Thursday morning targeted “hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front”.
The targets “were successfully struck in an intelligence based operation”, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the military, said in a statement a short while ago.
The statement added that “killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons” were used to conduct the operation.
“Going forward, dialogue and cooperation is deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues between the two neighbouring brotherly countries,” the statement read
“Going forward, dialogue and cooperation is deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues between the two neighbouring brotherly countries,” the statement read
Pakistan and Iran stand on the verge of a breakdown in diplomatic ties after an Iranian missile attack on Pakistan killed two children and injured three others on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Tehran after denouncing the attack and barred Iran’s envoy to Islamabad — who is travelling — from returning to Pakistan.
Islamabad accused Iran of violating Pakistani airspace and Iranian state media said missiles targeted two bases of the Jaish al-Adl armed group.But while the rhetoric from Islamabad points to a growing crisis sparked by the Iranian attacks, the two countries have frequently had to navigate tensions along their 900km (559-mile) long volatile border.
Here is a recap of a few past incidents of violence, some of which have soured the diplomatic relationship between the neighbours:
December 2023
The Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), which is blacklisted by Iran as a “terror” group, claimed responsibility for a police station attack in the Iranian town of Rask in the southeastern border province of Sistan-Baluchestan, which killed 11 Iranian security personnel. The attack was condemned by Pakistan.
June 2023
Pakistani military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), released a statement saying armed “terrorists” killed two Pakistani soldiers at a checkpoint in the Singwan area of the Kech district. Pakistan contacted Iranian authorities to thwart attempts by fighters to escape into Iran.
April 2023
The ISPR announced that attackers from Iran killed four of its border patrol soldiers in the Jalgai sector of Kech district.
January 2023
Shehbaz Sharif, who was Pakistan’s prime minister at the time, condemned the killing of four security officials along the border with Iran in Balochistan. After the attack in the Chukab sector of Panjgur district, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) urged Iran to investigate the matter and hold the perpetrators accountable. The Iranian embassy in Islamabad condemned this attack.
