Pakistan has carried out a major operation against the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group that operates from Iranian soil, and destroyed seven of their hideouts in the Saravan area near the Pakistani border. The operation involved the use of air force, rockets, drones, and cluster drones, according to verified sources.
The BLA is part of an umbrella group of Baloch insurgent groups, known as Baloch Raaji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS), that has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Pakistani security forces and infrastructure projects in the southwestern Balochistan province. Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, rich in natural resources and strategically located at the center of a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development project funded by China under its Belt and Road Initiative.
The operation, code-named “Ground Zero Clearance Operation”, was launched in response to a series of cross-border attacks by the BLA and other BRAS affiliates that killed at least 10 Pakistani soldiers in May 2023. Pakistan has accused Iran of not doing enough to prevent the militants from using its territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, and has asked Tehran to hunt down the terrorists on its side of the border.
Iran, on the other hand, has also blamed Pakistan for harboring anti-Iran Sunni militants who have carried out “terrorist” violence in the Iranian border region of Sistan-Baluchistan. The two countries have agreed to enhance cooperation and coordination to secure their shared border, which spans over 900 kilometers, and to prevent the escalation of tensions.
The operation against the BLA and other BRAS groups is still ongoing, and the Pakistani military has claimed to have killed dozens of militants, including some senior commanders. However, the BLA spokesperson has denied any casualties among its fighters or leaders, and has vowed to continue its struggle for the independence of Balochistan.