Balochistan Terrorism Watch

[Toxic]

So, as per Reuters, BLA had Noushki under their control for three whole days before the military wrestled it back from the militants by deploying additional troops, helicopters, and drones.

Are they exaggerating or what? I mean, how can a ragtag militia without any proper heavy weaponry 'hold' a big town like this? We have seen how the BLA militants just ran away on the sight of our MRAP (Sariyab road, Quetta encounter?), but they 'held' Noushki for three days?!?! wtf? Massive local support is my honest guess, if this is indeed true, because Noushki is one of the biggest BLA hubs out there.

Held is an exaggeration, you would need atleast several thousands to hold a town like Noushki but there were probably militants present in the town in those 3 days

 

[Vapnope]

it's a capacity problem with a sprinkling of funding

Its a glaring intelligence failure along with incompentency at highest level that 300+ armed people planned and executed a province wise attack and state wasnt aware. There is no issue of funding neither the capacity.

 

[aurelianpilled]

Where in the article does it say that ?

Just scroll down a bit and you will find the "SEARCH FOR MILITANTS ONGOING" title

The sixth paragraph;

"Security officials and witnesses said the insurgents had seized government buildings and police stations in several locations, and took over the desert town of Nushki for three days before they were pushed out. Officials said helicopters and drones were used to eject separatist fighters from the town."

 

[SteppeWolff]

I think it's high time to accept it isn't a restraint problem, it's a capacity problem with a sprinkling of funding.

No restraint is stopping you from keeping 12 of your towns secure. No restraint has ever stopped you from doing whatever else you want in the country. It's among the basic responsibilities of the government/state, to keep the people secure. You don't play kiddie gloves and restraint when every other month, half a dozen (if we are lucky) cities get practically ransacked and looted. Phir aap kay pas Goebbel tactics reh jatay hain to defend yourself.

Don't take it the wrong way. As I said, our response and capabilities in alot of areas have improved (20 years back we wouldn't have been able to do much about this sort of an attack), but this country really has to ditch the politics aside and get serious about the Baloch and TTP issue.

You correctly point out capacity and funding as constraints. But these are not natural disasters, they are choices. Pakistan maintains one of the world's largest armies, with significant conventional deployments on eastern borders. The capacity issue is not absolute. It's about reallocation of existing capacity and the political will to make strategic decisions.

The capacity argument ignores historical precedent. Pakistan has executed large scale military operations (Zarb e Azb, Radd ul Fasaad) in FATA with measurable success. The capacity was mustered then because the threat was deemed existential and the political military consensus was there. Making it a capacity issue now suggests the state no longer views the Balochistan/BLA with the same existential urgency.

And as an engineer I believe the border sealing is not just a military task, It's a technological and administrative one aswell. The Afghan border is porous, but so are many borders globally. Surveillance, drones, sensors and layered fencing can be effective if implemented. The real capacity gap here may be in engineering corps and border security technology funding, both choices in budget allocation. If this were the highest national priority, funding would be diverted from lower priority sectors.

Respectfully, I think the restraint vs capacity dichotomy is false. They are linked. Strategic restraint is driven by fear of international backlash, or domestic political friction in Balochistan. If the state were unrestrained in its strategic resolve, it would:
Temporarily reorient a significant portion of the military's focus from the eastern border, accepting the calculated risk. Launch a multi year, province wide clear hold build transfer operation, where clear is the short military phase, and hold build is the long term, costly civil administrative and development phase.

Development is not a substitute for security. They Are sequential. My original point stated 'operation then development.' You cannot bring sustainable development while terrorists systematically destroy infrastructure and intimidate populations. The state must first establish a monopoly on violence, a basic contract of governance you mentioned. The current approach of simultaneous low evel security and patchy development fails at both. A brief, intense, and decisive military surge to dismantle terrorist nodes, followed by a development influx, breaks the cycle. The 'carrot' only works if the 'stick' has first removed those who punish people for taking the carrot.

In short, capacity is a function of will. The state has not treated this threat with the same all of government, resource mobilizing response it has for other perceived existential threats. But the extremely painful casualities toll should make us realise it is time to choose.

 

[ziaulislam]

I am not a Baloch.

Kech, Panjgur, Gwadar, Awaran, parts of Nushki, Washuk, Chagai as most would know by now have a massive separatist problem and unfortunately locals do abett and facilitate. Hot beds of BLA, and others.

Kalat, Khuzdar etc are somewhere in the middle. Discontent is there, but locals ( from what I know or have seen ) aren't that much fond of Baloch insurgents. Kalat is also overwhelmingly Brahui.

Northern Balochistan districts like Zhob, Pishin, Killa Saiullah, Musakhel etc ( the Pashtun belt ) has its own problems, discontent and annoyance with the state, Afghan problems, but Baloch seperatism isnt here.
Turbat ( Kech ), Panjgur to Nushki corridor, outskirts of Gwadar, Awaran districts, Dalbandin, Washuk etc. Nor I would go there without proper arrangements nor I'd suggest you ( unless you have an escort ).
I have lived 18 years out of my 23 in Balochistan. And I still do visit it regularly.

BLA and TTP thrives due to one of two possibilities

Either military is highly incompetent
Or
Someone is letting it cook slowly

Take whichever you believe

No small militancy can survive in a region locked area with absolute power to ruling class

 

[Reichsmarschall]

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[ziaulislam]

Look at your neighbors..no militancy has surivived

Previous excuses was judges let them go..like anyone will listen to that excuse now

 

[ArmTwister]

BLA and TTP thrives due to one of two possibilities

Either military is highly incompetent
Or
Someone is letting it cook slowly

Take whichever you believe

No small militancy can survive in a region locked area with absolute power to ruling class

Military is not incompetent, it’s underfunded because our weak economy..

Also it’s supported by RAW, MOSSAD, CIA, MI-6.. funded by them and some Muslim countries..

Safe heaven provided by Afghanistan and Iran..

Now just do simple math., we are still fighting good.. Financial stability and progress in Balochistan will bring stability in the region..

 

[ArmTwister]

Look at your neighbors..no militancy has surivived

Previous excuses was judges let them go..like anyone will listen to that excuse now

First u apologize for posting fake video of MRAP, on this tread.. Militancy is till expanding in our neighborhood, it’s just latent..

 

[El Sidd]

now

It takes a special breed of human depravity to laugh at these attacks. Similar cynicism has been showcased by Haider.

Are you going to do the same in Islamabad mosque attack too?

 

[kimjongun]

WHOSE GROUPS ACTS WAS IT???

 

[hussain0216]

BLA and TTP thrives due to one of two possibilities

Either military is highly incompetent
Or
Someone is letting it cook slowly

Take whichever you believe

No small militancy can survive in a region locked area with absolute power to ruling class

It thrives because we have locals who are complicit and not Pakistani, they are the rotton soil within which this Cancer has grown

 

[The Sundance Kid]

Well, well, well - Guess where illegal afghans are being detained the most?

Over 7,000 Afghan Nationals Detained in Pakistan in One Month, UN Reports​

The report states that Balochistan province accounted for the highest number of detentions, with 3,713 individuals detained by Pakistani forces during this period. Islamabad ranked second with 1,528 Afghan detainees.

The vast majority of afghan returnees come through via Torkham while only a fraction come through spin boldak [1] [2] - take wild mf'n guess why

 

[ziaulislam]

It takes a special breed of human depravity to laugh at these attacks. Similar cynicism has been showcased by Haider.

Are you going to do the same in Islamabad mosque attack too?

Agree
It takes a special form of depravity to allow such acts to go along for last 30 years, i hope you feel okay with it

Special form of psychopaths, a common breed in Pakistani uncles

 

[ziaulislam]

It thrives because we have locals who are complicit and not Pakistani, they are the rotton soil within which this Cancer has grown

Absolutely bullshit
What kind of lcosl will alow to be blown in the city

Its simply happen because military thinks it s important to have this for it to be relevant

So you will always see an uprise when military is unpopular or anyform of internal struggle happening in military where someone wants to weak someone

Otherwise ISI can even catch a mouse.. terrorist can do shit without isi knowing it