SAA event in Balochistan, Zehri, Khuzdar District area, Pakistan on Wed 8th January 2025

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) cadres launched attack on the main bazaar of Zehri tehsil (revenue unit) of Khuzdar District in Balochistan on January 8, setting fire to multiple Government buildings, including a Levies Force station, NADRA and municipal committee offices and a bank, after seizing control of the area, reports Dawn. According to officials, around 80 cadres entered the area at about 11pm from nearby mountains, deploying armed cadres around the bazaar and other locations in the tehsil headquarters of Zehri. They set up checkpoints around the Zehri bazaar and pickets on the mountains to resist any action from Security Forces. The cadres stormed the Levies Thana (Police Station), took the personnel hostage, ransacked the records, and set the building on fire, damaging part of the structure, furniture and other items. The cadres used a loudspeaker at the main mosque to announce their control over the bazaar and other areas, making speeches to the people gathered there. The cadres later attacked a private bank branch, took the staff hostage and looted over PKR 90 million from the strong room, according to bank officials in Quetta. Kalat Commissioner Naeem Khan Bazai said that the armed cadres had entered Zehri on five vehicles and over 20 motorcycles, equipped with the latest automatic weapons. “They remained in the area for at least eight hours,” he said, adding that when security forces arrived and launched an operation, the cadres escaped, taking two Levies vehicles with them. They also took away 20 AK-47 rifles, 4,000 rounds of ammunition and 10 motorbikes. The BLA via its media channel Hakkal said on January 8 that it has taken complete control of Zehri tehsil following a coordinated attack, reports The Balochistan Post. According to BLA ‘spokesperson’ Jeeyand Baloch, the group seized Government institutions and set fire to the local Police Station.