Who Are BLA, BLF? Baloch Separatist Groups That Pakistan Attacked On Iranian Soil

Pakistan on Thursday in retaliatory strikes targeted hideouts of two Baluchi separatist groups named Balochistan Liberation Front and Balochistan Liberation Army in Iranian soil.

New Delhi: Pakistan has targeted the bases of Baloch separatist groups - Balochistan Liberation Front and Balochistan Liberation Army - in Iran. The Iranian media reported that the Pakistani missiles killed seven civilians, all non-Iranians, in a village in the Sistan-Baluchistan province that borders Pakistan. Pakistan said that the strikes were an intelligence-based operation and that its sole objective was to protect its own security and national interest. It also said that it respected Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This comes after Iran launched missile and drone attacks on the terrorist group Jaish al-Adl in Balochistan province on Tuesday. Pakistan had called the Iranian attacks a ‘violation of the country’s sovereignty’ and threatened serious consequences.

Who Are Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF)?

The Balochistan Liberation Army [also known as BLA or Baloch Liberation Army] is a Baloch militant organization. The BLA carried out its first terrorist act in the summer of 2000 when it claimed credit for bombing Pakistani officials.

In 2004, the BLA announced the start of a violent struggle against Islamabad for the self-determination of the Baloch people and the separation of Balochistan from Pakistan. The BLA has been listed as a terrorist organization by Pakistan, the UK, and the United States. The BLA mainly operates in Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan, where it targets Pakistani security forces, civilians, and foreign nationals.

The Balochistan Liberation Front is a terrorist group active in the Balochistan region. The group was founded by Jumma Khan in 1964 in Damascus, the capital of Syria.

The BLF played a significant role in the rebellion in Iran’s Sistan and Balochistan province in 1968-1973 and in Pakistan’s Balochistan province in 1973-1977. However, both times it failed miserably.

By 2003, the group’s status had become very weak. In 2003, Allah Nazar Baloch took over the command of the group and under his leadership the group became active again. Since then, the BLF has claimed responsibility for attacks on civilians, journalists, government officials, and military personnel.