Attack on PNS Siddique

Last updated

Attack on PNS Siddique
DateMarch 26, 2024
Location
Result

Infiltration attempt foiled

  • All militants killed
Belligerents
Naval Standard of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Navy Balochistan flag.svg BLA
Strength
4 militants
Casualties and losses
1 Frontier Corps soldier killed 4 militants killed

The Attack on PNS Siddique was a terrorist attack that occurred on March 26, 2024, at the PNS Siddique Naval Air Base in Turbat, Pakistan. The attack was carried out by the Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The BLA claimed responsibility for the assault, citing opposition to Chinese investments in the Balochistan. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Background

The PNS Siddique Naval Air Base is Pakistan's second-largest naval air station, located in Balochistan. The BLA has been critical of China's involvement in Balochistan, accusing both China and Pakistan of exploiting the region's resources. [5] [6]

Details

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that militants attacked from three sides of the airport boundary, but the security forces successfully foiled the attempt to infiltrate. It reported that in the ensuing clearance operation, all four militants were successfully killed. It further said that a soldier from the Frontier Corps was also killed in the exchange of fire. [1] [2] [3]

Reactions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Balochistan</span> Insurgency in Pakistan and Iran

The Insurgency in Balochistan is an insurgency or revolt by Baloch separatist insurgents and various Islamist militant groups against the governments of Pakistan and Iran in the Balochistan region, which covers the Pakistani province of Balochistan, Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and Balochistan of southern Afghanistan. Rich in natural resources, this is the largest, least populated and least developed province in Pakistan and Iran, and armed groups demand greater control of the province's natural resources and political autonomy. Baloch separatists have attacked civilians from other ethnicities throughout the province. In the 2010s, attacks against the Shia community by sectarian groups—though not always directly related to the political struggle—have risen, contributing to tensions in Balochistan. In Pakistan, the ethnic separatist insurgency is low-scale but ongoing mainly in southern Balochistan, as well as sectarian and religiously motivated militancy concentrated mainly in northern and central Balochistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balochistan Liberation Army</span> Baloch separatist militant group

The Balochistan Liberation Army is a Baloch ethnonationalist militant organization based in the Baluchistan region of Afghanistan. Operating primarily from safe havens scattered across southern Afghanistan, BLA perpetrates attacks in neighboring Pakistan's Balochistan province, which it seeks to remove from Pakistani sovereignty. It frequently targets Pakistan Armed Forces, civilians and foreign nationals.

This is a list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2015.

The 2014 Quetta airbase attack occurred on 15 August 2014, when approximately 13 Tehrik-i-Taliban militants attempted to storm two airbases of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force; PAF Base Samungli and Khalid Airbase, both located in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. The attack was largely unsuccessful as Pakistani security forces foiled the attempt following a major armed engagement between the two sides which resulted in the deaths of 12 militants, while 12 people were injured, including one attacker and 11 security personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaish ul-Adl</span> Militant separatist organization in Iran

Jaish ul-Adl is a Baloch Sunni militant separatist organization that operates mainly in the Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran, where there is a substantial Baloch population and a porous border with Pakistan.

Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was a combined military operation by the Pakistani military in support of local law enforcement agencies to disarm and eliminate the terrorist sleeper cells across all states of Pakistan, started on 22 February 2017. The operation aimed to eliminate the threat of terrorism, and consolidating the gains of Operation Zarb-e-Azb which was launched in 2014 as a joint military offensive. It was further aimed at ensuring the security of Pakistan's borders. The operation underwent active participation from the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Police and other Warfare and Civil Armed Forces managed under the Government of Pakistan. More than 375,000 intelligence-based operations had been carried out as of 2021. This operation has been mostly acknowledged after Operation Zarb e Azb.

On 14 August 2017, an improvised explosive device targeted a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle in Harnai district of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province. The attack left 8 FC troops dead. The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack.

Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2018 include:

On 23 November 2018, an armed assault on the Chinese consulate in Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan killed four people in an hour-long shootout. Those killed were two policemen, two Pakistani civilians and the three attackers. No Chinese nationals were injured or killed in the attack. The three attackers were also killed.

Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2019 include:

This article is an incomplete outline of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2021 in chronological order.

On 25 January 2022, militants stormed an army security post in a remote area of Dasht, Kech District, Balochistan, Pakistan, killing at least ten security personnel and injuring three others. The clash lasted for a few hours in which militants also suffered several casualties. Additionally, the militants also seized weapons that were present in the security post. Locals in the area also confirmed that an attack on the security post took place and that the militants suffered heavy casualties in the attack.

The 2022 Panjgur and Naushki raids were a series of attacks on the Pakistani Frontier Corps in Balochistan claimed by the Balochistan Nationalist Army (BNA), a newly formed Balochi separatist group with ties to the Balochistan Liberation Army. On 2 February, the militants attacked both the Frontier Corps base in Nushki and an outpost in Panjgur District, as part of the insurgency in Balochistan.

This article is an incomplete outline of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2023 in chronological order.

Pakistan Naval Station Siddique, known as PNS Siddique formerly known as Naval Air Station, Turbat, is a naval air station and a military airport located in Turbat city of Makran, Balochistan. It is one of four active Naval Air Arm bases and currently the second largest naval air station after PNS Mehran.

The events listed below are both anticipated and scheduled for the year 2024 in Pakistan.

This article is about terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2024 in chronological order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes (2024–present)</span> Series of armed skirmishes between Afghanistan and Pakistan

The 2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes are a series of ongoing armed clashes consisting of cross-border airstrikes and exchanges of gunfire between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The conflict also separately includes the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Pakistani Taliban. The skirmishes took place over many locations along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, including North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Wana, Dera Ismail Khan, Shangla, Khost, and Paktika. Subsequent attacks were also launched in Turbat and Gwadar in Balochistan province, by the Balochistan Liberation Army. Militant attacks on CPEC and Pakistani military bases accommodating US aircraft pose a threat to Chinese and American interests in Pakistan. After de-escalation in March 2024, the conflict resurged in December 2024 with Pakistani airstrikes against Afghanistan, specifically in Paktika Province.

On 20 March 2024, the Gwadar Port Authority Complex was attacked by armed Baloch separatists. All eight militants and two soldiers were killed in the attack.

Operation Azm-e-Istehkam is a counter-insurgency operation launched by the government of Pakistan in June 2024. The operation was approved by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. The operation will include not only military action, but also socio-economic uplift to deter extremism.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Khan, Tahir (2024-03-26). "FC soldier martyred, 4 terrorists killed as security forces thwart attack on naval base in Turbat: ISPR". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  2. 1 2 "Soldier martyred, four terrorists killed as security forces foil attack on Turbat naval base". tribune.com.pk. 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  3. 1 2 "Pakistan naval base attack kills one paramilitary soldier, four militants, army says". 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  4. Shahid, Behram Baloch | Saleem (2024-03-26). "Attack on navy base in Turbat 'foiled'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  5. "Pakistani separatists turn their sights on China | Lowy Institute". www.lowyinstitute.org. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  6. "Why are separatist militants violently targeting Chinese in Pakistan?". South China Morning Post. 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  7. "PM commends security forces for foiling terrorist attack on Turbat Naval Air Base". Radio Pakistan. 2024-03-26.