The siege of Kahaan – BW news report

QUETTA: On 12 April 2018 Pakistani army and their local collaborators have launched massives military offensive in district Kohlu’s Kahaan region and in district Dera Bugti’s Seyaah Aaf area. Local sources reported that more than 40 military trucks, six gunship helicopters and several motorcycles were used in the latest offensives. The siege of Kahaan and Seyah Aaf has now entered its 11^th day.

Independent sources told BalochWarna News that the ground forces and gunship helicopters have been indiscriminately shelling the civilians populations in which many innocent people including women and children feared to have died. The livestock of Baloch villagers have been loaded to military trucks and taken away whereas the pillage of villages continued till filing of this report.

The latest offensives have been launched to take control of massive oil reserves in Kahaan’s Bambore union council and terrorise the local population in the area in order to force them to leave the region so that Pakistan army can easily explore and start extraction work of oil. The Bambore oil reserves were discovered in General Ayoub’s era but the Baloch freedom fighters have not allowed Pakistan to exploit Balochistan’s national resources. The Baloch sarmachars and the most steadfast Baloch leader Nawab Khair Marri refused to compromise with Pakistan and allow them to build a Road from either Kohlu or Sibbi to Kahaan.

When Baloch patriot leader Hyrbyair Marri become a minister at Balochistan Provincial Assembly the Pakistani military tried to persuade him to allow them to extract the natural resource in Kohistan Marri region of Balochistan. Mr Marri has declined to compromise with Pakistan army and refused to allow them to start work at Kahaan areas oil reserves and other natural resources. Even before Hyrbyair Marri became a minister, he had already made up his mind to reorganise the Baloch freedom struggle and educate the Baloch youth for their independence. During his stay in Afghanistan during the 80s and 90s, Hyrbyair Marri clandestinely visited like-minded Baloch friends back in Balochistan in order to have discussions with them about re-igniting the national liberation struggle.

When Pakistani military dictator took power in an illegal military coupe, he also declared war against Marri and Bugti’s region and arrested Nawab Khair Marri under trumped-up charges along with more than 100 Marri Baloch residents of New Khan Quetta. Even though the arrested Marri Baloch and Nawab Marri were charged with the murder case of Justice Nawaz Marri but during interrogation they were questioned about why they went to Afghanistan? What sort of training they acquired and have they brought any weapons with them? Many messengers of General Musharraf, reportedly, approached Nawab Marri in jail and asked him to allow the exploration work in his area, in return all cases against him will be withdrawn but Nawab Marri vehemently refused to talk to the dictator.

Hence, all previous government and military dictators have failed to steal the natural resources of Balochistan from Kohistan Marri region because of the uncompromising stance of Nawab Marri, Hyrbyair Marri and the strong resistance by Baloch freedom fighters.

However, on 12 April, 2018 the Pakistan military, their stooges like Sarfaraz Buti, Jangyz Marri and the surrendered local collaborators of army once again started large scale of military offensive in Koh-e-Bambor, Nisau, Peeshi, Tratani, Hathpod and Seyahgari areas and carried out heavy shelling against innocent Marri Baloch villagers, looted the livestock of Baloch nomads and terrorised the residents to leave the area. Pakistani army also conducted offensives in Sibbi and its surrounding areas including Talli, Karmo Wadh and Gazzi mountain range.

Pakistani forces also erected new check posts in adjoining areas of Sibbi, Kahaan and Dera Bugti where the recently surrendered people and military-backed local death squads members headed by Sarfaraz Bugti arrest, torture and humiliate tribal notables who are not allowing Pakistan to loot the natural resources of their areas.  In Laidov area Pakistani forces have made a new military camp where Pakistani forces have been looting the shops of civilians to provide rations to their camp and troops.

Pakistani forces also physically and mentally tortured Baloch women and children in Laidov area and at other checkpoints respected Baloch women and elder face the violent behaviour of the Pakistani army. According to the locals of the Laidov some women and children have been forcibly abducted as well but their names and details could not be ascertained immediately.

As usual, the occupying Pakistani forces faced strong resistance from the Baloch freedom fighters of Baloch Liberation Army who came to the defence of the Baloch women and children against Pakistani forces air strikes and ground offensives. The BLA fighters resisted the armed to teeth Pakistani forces and their local collaborators for eleven days and forced them to retreat from the area and thwarted their attempts to take over Bambore hill oil reserves.

On Sunday evening the Pakistan forces retreated from Bambore hills and gathered at Seyahgari and Hathpod area, however, it not clear yet whether they will regroup and launch another offensive or they will accept the defeat and go back to their barracks. Hence, the Baloch freedom fighters have been successful in breaking the siege of Kahaan.

In district Dera Bugti’s Seyah Aaf area there have been fierce battles between freedom fighters of Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and Pakistani forces. The Baloch fighter gave a very tough time to occupying Pakistani forces and forced them to retreat from the mountains. In their latest statements, the BRA claimed to have killed more than twenty Pakistani soldiers including a captain.

Meanwhile, the FC (Frontier Corps) forces who are involved in gross human rights violations including enforced-disappearances across Balochistan and Sarfaraz Bugti head of army-backed death squad and a Pakistani puppet chosen as Interior Minister of Balochistan have admitted on Pakistani media that forces have killed at least five people and arrested another 29 whom they described as ‘facilitators’ of Baloch insurgents.

The local sources in the region talking to BalochWarna News have rejected the government figures and said that the number of casualties is much higher than what Pakistani forces claim. However, due to the media blackout and lack of communication system, the exact details and number of casualties could not be confirmed so far.