Mortar Bomb event in Balochistan, Rakhni, Barkhan District area, Pakistan on Mon 4th May 2026

Nine “death squad” (State-backed armed militia) members were killed, one military informant arrested, while one Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) cadre was killed in a clash between the cadres of BLF and Security Forces (SFs) in the Rakhni area of Barkhan District in Balochistan on May 4, reports Zrumbesh. The BLF ‘spokesperson’ Gwaharam Baloch, in a statement, said the clash erupted following a targeted operation it conducted at approximately 2:00 PM on May 2, in which its cadres arrested a man identified as Wahid Bakhsh Masuri, described by the group as an alleged military informant. The group claimed Masuri was a close associate of Sarfraz Bugti and was directly linked to the deaths of four BLF fighters identified as Shahzeb Baloch, Rasan Qadir, Samiullah Baloch, and Mustafa Baloch. According to the BLF statement, SFs launched a large-scale military counter-operation on the morning of May 3 at 10:00 AM in an apparent attempt to recover the arrested individual and target the BLF camp. The group said the assault involved joint forces, including the Frontier Corps, Police, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), commandos, and armed groups led by Aftab Masuri, described as the brother of Sarfraz Bugti. The BLF claimed drones, mortar shells, and automatic weapons were used during the assault. The clash lasted approximately 16 hours, continuing until 2:00 AM on May 4. Throughout the engagement, a total of nine “death squad” members were killed and several Frontier Corps and police personnel were wounded, according to the group’s statement. The BLF announced the death of one of its field commanders, Captain Sangat Salal Baloch, also known by the alias Major Noora, during the engagement.