In a significant operation, Pakistani security forces successfully thwarted three coordinated attacks on the high-security Central Mach Jail in Balochistan province, preventing a potential jailbreak by militants. The attackers believed to be associated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), targeted the prison with rockets and sophisticated weapons.
The assault occurred on Monday night when at least 15 rockets were fired at the Central Mach Jail, where dangerous militants and individuals on death row are detained. Security forces, including the Pakistan Army and Frontier Constabulary Balochistan, swiftly responded to counter the attacks, news agency PTI reported.
Balochistan’s caretaker Information Minister, Jan Achakzai, confirmed that five militants belonging to the BLA were killed by security forces during the operation. The attackers managed to fire rockets at the Mach jail building but failed to hit the intended target. Unconfirmed reports suggested casualties among law enforcement personnel, with two policemen reportedly killed and a truck driver injured.
The assailants fired rockets from nearby mountains, causing explosions in different areas of Mach town. Following the rocket attacks, terrorists targeted a security forces camp near the central jail and infiltrated the Mach railway station. Residents were instructed to stay indoors as the gun battle unfolded.
Inspector General Prisons in Balochistan, Shuja Kasi, confirmed that rockets struck the walls of the residential colony of the Mach jail.
He also said “Mortar shells and rockets exploded close to the walls of the colony,” and underlined the report of no casualty so far.
He claimed that 800 inmates, some of whom were on death row, were currently housed in Mach Jail. The Majeed Brigade of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) organization eventually claimed responsibility for the incident. The minister initially stated the terrorists were associated with the Aslam Acho gang.
The attack is believed to be a retaliatory move following Pakistani strikes on what the country claimed were insurgent hideouts in Iran earlier in January. The BLA had previously threatened to target security forces in Balochistan after the Pakistani strikes on their camps in Iran.
Balochistan province, as well as Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, has experienced a prolonged low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists. Despite government claims of quelling the insurgency, sporadic violence persists in the region.
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