Operation Herof: From Ex-Pak Army Solider To Female Fidayeen – How BLA Stunned Pakistan In Balochistan

OPED By: Aparna Rawal

On 25th August 2024, a female fidayeen (self-sacrificer) from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) named Mahal Baloch, also known as Zilan Kurd, along with another fidayee Rizwan Baloch, detonated VBIEDs (Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device) at Pakistan’s Bela military camp.

This set off a chain of strategically planned multiple attacks under BLA’s “Fidayeen Operation Herof (Dark Windy Storm),” which consumed the lives of dozens of Pakistan military personnel.

Unlike past operations, BLA’s current operation was meticulously planned and exhibits several unique elements in its tactics and recruitment.

Firstly, in terms of recruitment, the BLA has not confined itself to male fighters. It has become an example of the evolving role of female fighters in the operations undertaken.

In 2022, the report on BLA’s change in tactics and recruitment was apparent when a female, fidayeen Shari Baloch, was deployed to target Karachi University’s Confucius center, which resulted in the deaths of three Chinese nationals and one local.

Later, in 2023, Sumaiya Qalandrani Baloch, another woman suicide bomber, attacked a convoy of the Pakistan military in Turbat district. It can be determined that Operation Herof, unlike the other operations, presented a more accountable role for the female fidayeen, where the individual could present an element of surprise.

Also, several recruits joining the BLA are militarily trained by Pakistan and are well acquainted with the protocols and ways of the Pakistani military. In the operation, Herof, Fidayee Sangat Tayyab, alias Lala, served as a soldier in the Pakistani army but later volunteered to join the BLA Majeed Brigade in 2023. Like Tayyab, there are several recruits who, post joining the Pakistani military, have taken a discharge to join the Baloch freedom movement.

Secondly, the operation was initiated a day prior to the 18th death anniversary of Nawab Akbar Bugti of Balochistan. Bugti was a politician and Tumandar (head) of the Bugti tribe.

He advocated for the Baloch freedom struggle and was eventually assassinated by the Pakistan military on the orders of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Additionally, BLA who have regarded themselves as freedom fighters or insurgents would be expected to orchestrate such an attack as a tribute to Bugti or as a reminder of Baloch resistance to Pakistan.

Operation Herof

The operation commenced on August 25th after the fidayeen detonated the VBIEDs at the gate of Bela camp. This was followed by the infiltration of Majeed Brigade within the camp premises.

BLA’s Operational Commander Ghous Bakhsh Simalani, known as Talib, led the attack on the Bela Headquarters. Simalani was from Shahrag and had been with the BLA since 2019. He was the son of Meshedar Simalani, who died in November 2022 during an attack on the Pakistani forces.

Simultaneously, several highways were blockaded by the BLA’s Fatah Squad Special Tactical Operations Squad (STOS).

Dozens of military personnel were reported to have been killed in the clash with the BLA unit. Apart from the direct attacks on Pakistan law enforcement and military personnel, the BLA also took over 22 military, police, and Levies personnel as hostages.

The BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, in his statement to the media, stated that the “Fidayeen unit” of the outfit, Majeed Brigade, had managed to take control of the Bela camp for 20 hours, during which “68 military personnel were killed and dozens more injured.”

Several checkpoints were created around the blockades on major routes and highways, where BLA tried to contain the mobility of the Pakistan military and law enforcement personnel.

A military convoy was attacked on the Mand-Turbat road in the Hotabad area, resulting in the deaths of five Pakistani soldiers.

The toll plaza at Garari in Kalat was also captured by the BLA, where another military convoy was attacked, killing at least 15 soldiers. In Bolan, 16 Frontier Corps personnel were attacked and their weapons seized. To bolster their efforts and prevent any additional reinforcement to the affected region, the railway tracks running through Bolan were also destroyed.

On 26th August, BLA, upon the completion of Operation Herof, stated, “The motive behind our attacks is clear. We have sent a straightforward message to China and Pakistan: withdraw from Balochistan.”

The spokesperson of BLA, on behalf of their leader, Aslam Baloch, further released a statement honoring the martyrs from their Brigade who died in Operation Herof.

He mentioned Muhammad Baloch, known as Mirak, from Panjgur; Sangat Fazal Gul Zehri, known as Shavez; Sangat Tayab, known as Lala, from Noshki; Sangat Junaid Zehri, known as Kami, from Khuzdar, Muhammad Asif Nechari, known as Naveed, and Muhammad Bakhsh Simalani, known as Khalid.

Muhammad Baloch, who joined BLA in 2022, was also related to Sangat Raees, who died in the 2018 Karachi consulate attack.

The Aftermath

Pakistan deemed the BLA attacks as acts of terrorism. No name of the military officers killed in Operation Herof was released. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released a statement, “On the behest of inimical and hostile forces, these cowardly acts of terrorism were aimed at disrupting the peaceful environment and development of Balochistan by targeting mainly the innocent civilians, especially in Musakhail, Kalat and Labela Districts. Resultantly, numerous innocent civilians embraced shahadat.”

Additionally, the ISPR also stated that the militants had indiscriminately targeted civilians by halting a bus in the Rara Sham area in Musakhail district.

The BLA, however, responded by claiming that the statements made by the ISPR were a way to control perception and instill doubt among the Baloch masses, who viewed the group as freedom fighters.

It further clarified that the individuals targeted on the bus were indeed Pakistan’s military personnel, part of the death squad who were disguised as civilians. To affirm its stance on BLA’s clear objective to confine its attacks only to Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies and military, BLA released a warning and admonished all civilians from being in the areas that it had planned to target prior to the commencement of its operation.

Since the attacks, Pakistan has led sanitization operations in the area.

Due to the contiguous subjugation, extrajudicial killings, forced abductions of the Baloch, and possible displacement of the Baloch demographic in the region to accommodate the Chinese immigrants by the Pakistan government, feelings of disgruntlement have remained prevalent amongst the Baloch community.

To exacerbate the already stewing hatred towards the Pakistan military, several Pashtuns, Sindhis, and minority groups, along with the Baloch, hold Punjab responsible for their afflicted atrocities and view Pakistan as an illegal occupier of their lands, exploiting their resources to benefit Punjab and the Chinese.

The presence of the Chinese due to CPEC has been a prime factor for the rapid uptick in insurgencies and attacks on Chinese nationals. This led to China demanding Pakistan to carry a heavy handed large scale operation such as operation Zarb-e-Azb to curb the insurgent situation.

Pakistan complied with Operation Azm-e-Istehkam in June 2024. The operation was approved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The announcement of the operation has already met with several protests in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) area.

The operation is expected to accelerate the implementation of Pakistan’s National Action Plan (NAP), which was conceived in 2014. However, the fear of being displaced and battered due to Pakistan’s ongoing operation in the garb of counter-terrorism/counter-insurgency seems to outweigh the possibility of welcoming such action on behalf of the government.

It is also imperative to mention that skepticism and inhibition on the part of the civilians are not unfounded, given that Operation Ground Zero comes as a stark reminder of Pakistan’s appeasement policy towards the Chinese while alienating the Baloch.

In 2021, Pakistani Major General Ayman Bilal confirmed that on demands from China, he led the operation to crush the Baloch freedom movement. The success of the CPEC was more essential to Pakistan’s interest and so was ameliorating China.

Due to all the past factors, insurgent groups such as the BLA have undoubtedly been provided with enough fodder to fuel their activities. Several offshoots or splinter groups along with Baloch insurgent groups that are anti-Pakistan, such as Hafiz Gulbahadur group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army, are seen to cooperate and sometimes carry out joint operations as well.

Pakistan’s unstable diplomatic relations with the Taliban may also be a foreseeable factor in Pakistan’s deteriorating security.

Pakistan may have been caught between the horns of the bull and may be forced to opt between appeasing its citizens or Beijing, who has reportedly ordered Pakistan to clean up the area.

• Aparna Rawal is an Indian research analyst specializing in the Af/Pak region and counter-terrorism.
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• The author can be reached at aparnarawal (at) gmail.com