Two of the assailants’ photos have been made public by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed credit for the widespread, well-planned strikes across Pakistan’s province’s cities and towns. Both of them are women, with one identified as 24-year-old Asifa Mengal.
At least 17 security officers were among the roughly 50 victims of the devastating attack. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated on Sunday that Pakistani security forces responded by initiating a 40-hour fight to eliminate around 140 militants thus far. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that two of the attacks involved female perpetrators.
The banned BLA said Mengal was the daughter of one Mohammad Ismail and a resident of Nushki in Balochistan. She was born on October 2, 2002 and joined the BLA’s Majeed Brigade on her 21st birthday. Mengal decided to be a ‘fidayee’ (suicide attacker) in January 2024 and was the one to have targeted the ISI headquarters in Nushki on Saturday, the BLA statement added.
Meanwhile, the identify of the other woman attacker is not known yet. A video that has surfaced shows her before carrying out the act, in which she is seen taunting the Pakistani government with her fellow male BLA associates.
“They (the Pakistani government) are unable to directly challenge us; they can only demonstrate their authority over our oppressed mothers and sisters. She can be heard in the video grinning broadly while brandishing a huge rifle, saying, “It’s beyond their capacity.”
We merely need to awaken ourselves; the Baloch country needs to awaken. We must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Baloch Sarmachars. The enemy is weak and their days are running out. The Baloch nation must understand that there can be absolutely no compromise with this enemy.
Look, today our fighters are sacrificing their lives, blowing themselves to pieces, yet some still spy on them for a few pennies,” the woman attacker says in the video in Balochi.
In the Pakistani province that borders Iran and Afghanistan, this has been one of the deadliest flare-ups in years. Pakistan’s Junior Minister Talal Chaudhry said that assailants masquerading as civilians entered schools, banks, markets and hospitals before starting fire.
The assaults began on Friday evening and lasted into Saturday. Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said attacks were reported from different regions, including Nushki, Hub, Chaman, Naseerabad, Gwadar, and Makran. The chief minister of Balochistan claimed that the authorities were able to counterattack because they had intelligence that such an operation was being prepared.
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Targeting security troops throughout Balochistan, the BLA announced on Saturday that it had begun the second phase of its campaign, known as “Herof” (black storm). According to the Pakistani military, attempts by militants to take over any city or strategic installation were thwarted by security forces.
Baloch separatist organizations have been fighting for independence and a bigger portion of the province’s natural riches for decades, making it Pakistan’s largest and poorest province.
Image Courtesy: X
