- BLA full claimed responsibility for Gwadar Coast Guard camp attack.
- BLA claimed over 30 soldiers were killed and dozens injured in Gwadar.
- BLA seeks independent Balochistan, calls forces "occupying".
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has taken full responsibility for a deadly suicide attack on a Pakistan Coast Guard camp in Panwan, in the Jiwani area of Gwadar. The separatist group alleged that more than 30 Pakistani soldiers were killed and dozens injured in the attack, The Balochistan Post reported.
According to reports, the attack was carried out by the BLA's elite Majeed Brigade on Friday evening in what the group described as a "fidayeen" (suicide) operation. The BLA claimed that a suicide bomber, identified as Ataullah Baloch, alias Ajmal, rammed a Mazda truck packed with explosives into the heavily fortified Coast Guard camp at around 6:32 p.m. local time, triggering a massive explosion.
"The massive blast completely reduced the fortified colonial camp of the Coast Guard to rubble," BLA spokesman Jiand Baloch said in an official statement.
According to the BLA, the explosion caused extensive damage to the installation, which it claimed was reduced to rubble. The group further alleged that, immediately after the blast, its Fateh Squad launched a coordinated assault on the damaged camp, targeting surviving security personnel in close-quarter combat.
The BLA also claimed that the death toll could rise further, alleging that several personnel remained trapped beneath the debris while many of the injured were in critical condition.
Hakkal, the BLA's media wing, released a 43-second video that purportedly shows a truck loaded with explosives entering the camp moments before a massive explosion. Additional footage shared by the channel appeared to show significant destruction to the military installation.
The group said its tactical wing, the Fateh Squad, launched a coordinated ground assault immediately after the vehicle bombing.
"Immediately after the attack, our organisation's main force, the Fateh Squad, advanced swiftly and systematically and attacked the destroyed camp from all sides," the BLA statement said.
The BLA claimed that Fateh Squad fighters engaged the remaining Coast Guard personnel in hand-to-hand combat, alleging that more than 30 soldiers were killed during the joint operation.
The BLA spokesman further said, "Given the critical condition of the injured and those trapped under the debris, the number of enemy casualties is likely to rise further."
The group said it would soon release complete details of the operation through its official channels.
The BLA concluded its statement by reiterating that its armed campaign would continue until what it described as the "complete independence" of Balochistan. It also referred to Pakistani security forces as "occupying forces", reflecting its long-standing demand for an independent Balochistan.
The banned organisation, BLA is one of the separatist groups active in Balochistan and has been engaged in a long-running insurgency against the Pakistani state. The organisation has frequently claimed responsibility for attacks targeting security forces, government installations, and infrastructure projects, particularly in the province's coastal and resource-rich regions.