Pakistan preparing major offensive against Balochistan separatists

The subject has not elaborated connected nan specifications of nan operation, which comes aft a bid of deadly attacks.

Pakistan has announced a “comprehensive subject operation” against separatist groups successful nan restive southwestern state of Balochistan, which has seen a surge of deadly attacks successful caller months.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a gathering connected Tuesday of governmental and subject leaders, and gave nan go-ahead for nan operation, his agency said successful a statement.

Neither Sharif’s agency nor nan subject would divulge specifications astir nan operation, aliases opportunity whether it will see crushed aliases aerial strikes, aliases whether parts of it will beryllium conducted successful practice pinch China aliases Iran.

China has been pushing for measures to protect its citizens aft they were targeted successful a spate of attacks, and connected Tuesday unveiled a scheme for associated counterterrorism exercises successful Pakistan.

Asked connected Wednesday if China is progressive successful Pakistan’s plan, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian did not straight comment, only saying Beijing “is consenting to deepen pragmatic cooperation” to nan use of some countries.

Iran has besides been carrying retired extended subject operations successful nan southeastern state of Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, against separatist fighters.

According to Sharif’s office, nan subject cognition will target nan Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and different outlawed groups, but it is unclear erstwhile it will start.

The authorities blamed nan groups for “targeting guiltless civilians and overseas nationals to scuttle Pakistan’s economical advancement by creating insecurity astatine nan behest of dispute outer powers”.

The BLA has agelong waged an equipped rebellion seeking independency from Islamabad. It is nan biggest of respective taste rebel groups battling nan government, claiming it unfairly exploits nan province’s state and mineral resources.

On November 9, a suicide bomber pinch nan BLA blew himself up astatine a crowded train position successful Quetta, sidesplitting 26 people, including soldiers, constabulary and civilians.

Resource-rich Balochistan, location to galore equipped separatist groups, is nan country’s largest and poorest state and borders Afghanistan and Iran.

In nan past, equipped groups besides targeted power projects pinch overseas financing – astir notably from China – accusing outsiders of exploiting nan region while excluding residents from nan profits.

Thousands of Chinese nationals activity successful Pakistan, galore of whom are progressive successful Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project.

Attack successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Pakistani subject said connected Wednesday that 12 soldiers were killed aft fighters attacked a guidelines successful nan mountainous northwestern state of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

It said six fighters were killed successful nan attack, which included ramming an explosives-laden conveyance into nan perimeter wall of nan subject outpost successful nan territory of Bannu.

The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a breakaway faction of nan Pakistani Taliban, claimed work for nan attack.

This brought nan number of group killed successful equipped attacks successful nan past 24 hours to 20, arsenic 8 group died successful different attack, besides successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), besides known arsenic nan Pakistani Taliban, claimed work for that assault.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced connected Wednesday that arsenic portion of its large-scale cognition successful Sistan and Baluchestan, it killed 3 much equipped separatists while arresting 11.

Last month, astatine nan petition of Iranian authorities, nan Pakistani subject launched aerial strikes connected positions held by Jaish al-Adl, nan equipped separatist group considered an Israeli-backed “terrorist” organisation by Tehran. The attacks killed 12 members, nan group said.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies