Quetta, 26 September (H.S.): The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) on Friday claimed that members of its recently formed women’s armed unit, the Kareema Armed Assault Division (KAD), blocked a major highway and attacked Pakistani Army convoys in Balochistan’s Kalat district. The organisation claimed that several soldiers were killed or wounded in the attack. Pakistani authorities, however, have not immediately confirmed the claims.

According to The Balochistan Post, an online news network based in Balochistan, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said KAD members conducted patrols in the town of Mangochar on September 25 and established a blockade on the main highway, where they searched vehicles. He claimed that during the operation, convoys being sent from Kalat and Mastung to Mangochar as reinforcements for the army were targeted.

The organisation claimed that three military vehicles, including an armoured vehicle, were destroyed or disabled during the operation. The BLF said clashes were continuing in the area and that further information regarding casualties and damage would be released later.

However, Pakistani authorities have not immediately confirmed the alleged clash in Mangochar or the military losses claimed by the BLF.

The claim comes only days after the BLF announced the formation of KAD. According to the organisation, the operation was the women’s unit’s second alleged mission. Earlier on Tuesday, the BLF had claimed that KAD members targeted a Pakistani military convoy on a highway forming part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) near Turbat.

The BLF subsequently released an alleged video showing the training of members of the women’s unit, in which its members appeared to be handling weapons and undergoing military training.

According to the BLF, women serving in KAD will have roles beyond combat, including intelligence gathering, communications, medical assistance and logistics. The organisation described the formation of the unit as a step towards the organised participation of women in its military structure. It has said KAD will target Pakistani security forces and infrastructure, while also challenging patriarchy, class-based exploitation and conservative traditions within Baloch society.

KAD has been named after Kareema Baloch, the former chairperson of the Baloch Students Organization-Azad. The BLF described the formation of the unit as a tribute to Kareema Baloch’s “struggle” and claimed that she had played an important role in increasing women’s participation in the Baloch movement.

There has been no official confirmation from Pakistan regarding the reported attack, damage to military vehicles or the casualties claimed by the BLF.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar