Weeks After Claiming BLA Operation Was Concluded, Pakistan Signals Continued Offensive

Last Updated:March 03, 2026, 23:08 IST

Pakistan’s army says the abduction and killing of its soldiers triggered renewed action against BLA, despite declaring in Feb that the offensive had been successfully concluded.

Pakistan’s military has said it is avenging the killing of its soldiers allegedly at the hands of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), describing the incident as “cold-blooded murder" and ruling out any negotiations with the group, according to an unofficial response shared with CNN-News18 by sources.

“The execution of Pakistan Army soldiers by the BLA is not ‘war.’ It is cold-blooded murder," the statement said.

The soldiers had gone missing on January 30–31, 2026. From that point, special forces units, army formations and intelligence agencies were mobilised, the response said, adding that “assets were pooled across Balochistan" and intelligence operations were activated to track those responsible.

The development comes weeks after Pakistan’s military announced in early February that it had “successfully concluded" Operation Radd Al-Fitna 1 in Balochistan following coordinated attacks by the BLA across more than a dozen locations. However, the latest statement signals that the objectives of neutralising the group may not have been fully met.

According to a February Reuters report, the BLA stormed schools, banks, markets and security installations, seized government buildings and police stations, and briefly took control of the desert town of Nushki before being pushed back using helicopters and drones.

Pakistan’s military claimed 216 militants were killed in targeted offensives that began on January 29, two days before the large-scale separatist attacks. It said 22 security personnel and 36 civilians were killed. However, a provincial Home Ministry official cited by Reuters gave a higher toll of 45 security personnel and 40 civilians. The BLA, in a separate statement last month, claimed it had killed 362 soldiers during its operation, without providing evidence.

According to the unofficial remarks, the BLA allegedly issued demands including the release of detainees such as Mahrang Baloch and other proscribed individuals. “Terror bargaining disguised as politics," the response said. It added that intelligence inputs suggested the captives were being shifted constantly in hostile terrain, with unconfirmed reports indicating possible movement toward Afghanistan.

“During these operations a large number of BLA terrorists were eliminated and more than 100 taken," the statement claimed. It added that Operation Ghazab lil-Haq “with all its fury" was avenging the abduction of the soldiers from what it described as the “Master Proxy of BLA."

“There will be no negotiation with murderers. BLA and their sponsors will continue to pay a heavy price. These ‘dogs of hell’ will be hunted till they are found and sent to hell. Retribution is very heavy and painful," the statement said.

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was described by Pakistani authorities as a military offensive against the Afghan Taliban in late February 2026, launched as tensions escalated along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Multiple explosions and gunfire were reported from Kabul on Tuesday as Afghan and Pakistani forces continued clashes along the frontier. Fighting has been ongoing since February after Islamabad said its air strikes targeted militants, while Kabul accused Pakistan of attacks that killed civilians. At least 39 civilians have been reported killed since the escalation began, according to Afghan authorities.

News world Weeks After Claiming BLA Operation Was Concluded, Pakistan Signals Continued Offensive

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