Balochistan: BLA claims it killed Pakistan Army-backed leader in IED attack

Amid the brewing tensions in the region, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for a remote-controlled IED attack that killed Muhammad Ameen, one of the prominent members of an alleged “Pakistani army-backed killing squad”. On Monday, BLA accused Ameen of taking part in all sorts of military operations, enforced disappearances, and targeted assassinations in the Zamuran region in Balochistan.

“Agent Muhammad Ameen, a prominent agent of the occupying Pakistani army’s so-called killing squad, and his son were both neutralised by Baloch Liberation Army fighters. BLA liberation fighters used a remote-controlled IED to assault enemy agent Muhammad Ameen’s truck. As a result, he was neutralised alongside his son, Naveed Ameen, and his vehicle was destroyed,” BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said in a statement.

The BLA maintained that Agent Ameen was personally involved in aiding military aggression in Zamuran and its nearby areas. The BLA also accused the kill squad leader of engaging in enforced disappearances and deliberate killings of young people in the conflict-stricken region.

About the Pakistani kill squad

According to the statement released by the BLA spokesperson, the so-called killing squad had the freedom to evade the army’s regulations and is notorious for circulating drugs in the region. “The same gang, led by Muhammad Ameen, was directly responsible for the martyrdom of ‘BRAS’ liberation fighters,” the statement further reads.

It is pertinent to note that the attack from the Balochi militant group came days after Pakistan introduced a draconian law that allows Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies to detain individuals, especially Baloch civilians, for up to 90 days without charge.

The Counter-Terrorism (Balochistan Amendment) Act 2025, which was passed by the Balochistan Assembly last week, allowed the detention of anyone solely based on suspicion. Shortly after the law was passed in the Balochistan Assembly, legal experts and human rights activists warned that the legislation bypasses judicial safeguards and effectively legalises the atrocities and practices already being committed by the Pakistani security forces in the shadows.

Under the Act, Pakistan’s Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) can now operate with expanded powers. They can issue detention orders and conduct ideological profiling of the suspects. Not only this, but military officials will now be sitting on the oversight panel, eroding civilians’ control over law enforcement. For decades, Baloch civilians have been facing atrocities in the Pakistani-administered regions. This has also led to a rise in militant activities in the province.

With inputs from ANI.