The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing targeting a Pakistan Coast Guards camp in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, alleging that more than 30 paramilitary personnel were killed and several others were injured in the attack.
In a statement, the separatist group said an explosives-laden vehicle struck the Panwan Coast Guard base in Jiwani in what it described as a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) attack conducted as part of a coordinated operation.
“As a result of this powerful blast, the fortified colonial camp of the Coast Guards was completely turned into a heap of rubble," BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said in an official statement, according to The Balochistan Post.
“Immediately after the attack, our organisation’s vanguard unit, the Fateh Squad, advanced rapidly and in an organised manner, launching an assault on the destroyed camp from all sides," the statement further read.
The BLA claimed the explosion “completely destroyed" the installation and inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistani security personnel.
According to the group, more than 30 members of the Pakistani paramilitary forces were killed, while dozens of others suffered serious injuries. It also claimed that the death toll could increase.
“Given the critical condition of the injured and the personnel trapped under the rubble, a further increase in the enemy’s casualties is highly likely," the BLA spokesperson stated.
The organisation said its armed fighters carried out follow-up operations after the initial suicide bombing struck the Coast Guard facility.
The BLA’s media wing, Hakkal, also released a 43-second video that it said showed the attack. The footage purportedly depicts an explosives-laden truck entering the camp moments before a massive explosion and fireball.
Pakistani authorities had not immediately verified the BLA’s claims regarding casualties or issued an official statement on the incident.
The Baloch Liberation Army is an outlawed separatist organisation that has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Pakistani security forces and infrastructure in Balochistan.
