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The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for a deadly "fidayee" (suicide commando) attack on a Pakistan Coast Guard camp in the Panwan area of Jiwani in Gwadar. The separatist group claimed that over 30 Pakistani personnel were killed and dozens of others injured in the assault, The Balochistan Post reported.
According to the report, the high-risk operation was carried out on Friday evening by the BLA's elite Majeed Brigade. A suicide bomber, identified by the group as Attaullah Baloch alias Ajmal, reportedly rammed an explosive-laden Mazda truck into the fortified Coast Guard camp at around 6:32 PM (local time), triggering a massive blast. In an official statement, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch stated, "As a result of this powerful blast, the fortified colonial camp of the Coast Guards was completely turned into a heap of rubble." The BLA's media wing, Hakkal, released a 43-second video clip that purportedly shows the explosive-laden truck entering the camp compound moments before a catastrophic explosion. Subsequent footage shared by the channel indicated that a substantial portion of the military structure had been completely levelled. The group stated that the initial vehicle bombing was immediately followed by a coordinated ground assault executed by its tactical wing, the Fateh Squad. "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 BLA statement read.The insurgents claimed that Fateh Squad fighters engaged the surviving Coast Guard personnel at close range. They maintained that more than 30 personnel were neutralised during the combined operation. "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 added. The BLA stated that it would release a comprehensive breakdown of the operation through its official channels shortly. The banned outfit further asserted that its armed campaign targeting Pakistani security forces would continue "with the same intensity" until its ultimate objective of the "complete independence of Balochistan" is achieved. The Pakistani military and government authorities have not yet issued an official statement confirming the exact casualty toll or the extent of the damage resulting from the Jiwani assault. (ANI)
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