After a three-day religious gathering in Sibi, a large number of vehicles returning from Sibi to Quetta were stranded. Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists, armed with modern weapons, had blocked the highway at Pir Ghaib and Aab Ghum. They began checking the passengers’ vehicles.
During the checking of people returning from the Sibi Tableeghi gathering, passengers were looted. Thieves took watches, mobile phones, and cash from travelers..
Haji Amir Muhammad, a resident of Pishin district, told Balochistan Pulse that he had gone to attend the Sibi gathering with his eldest son. On the return journey, traffic suddenly jammed in Bolan. Armed individuals started searching vehicles, and two armed men came to their car and demanded they hand over their mobile phones and cash.
Security forces quickly arrived at the location and surrounded the area as soon as the situation was reported. Security officials said that the forces and the militants exchanged intense fire for more than an hour, killing three attackers. The exchange of fire damaged security vehicles and forced the terrorists to flee..
Security forces successfully freed the hostages held at gunpoint and thwarted the militants’ plan.
Authorities said that the security forces are pursuing the militants who fled into the mountains. Authorities reopened the Quetta-Sibi highway for traffic after 4 hours.
BLA has resorted to looting the Baloch public to finance their terrorist activities. On January 9th, armed terrorists from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carried out a daring robbery at a private bank in Zehri, Khuzdar.
The attackers looted large sums of cash and jewelry from the bank. They further exploited the local population to fund their nefarious operations. This act of violence highlights the growing security concerns in Balochistan. Terrorist groups are increasingly relying on such criminal activities to fuel their insurgency.
