According to Pakistani security officials, an air operation was carried out in Afghanistan’s Helmand province on the morning of October 1, targeting an alleged media operations center linked to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Security sources said the operation took place at around 4:45am in Garmser district. They claimed that nine militants, including four commanders allegedly associated with the group’s media operations, were killed in the strike.
The officials identified those reportedly killed as Sherwan Baloch, Huzaifa Baloch, Farooq Baloch and Hazrat Baloch, and alleged that they were involved in managing the group’s media activities.
According to the security sources, the targeted compound was owned by a man identified as Mullah Nadir, described as a Taliban border-force commander in Nimroz and an alleged facilitator for the BLA in Helmand and Nimroz.
The sources claimed the facility was being used to produce propaganda and other media material linked to operations in Balochistan.
Pakistan’s official account of the broader October 1 strikes says militant hideouts and camps were targeted in Helmand and Kunar, with 22 militants reportedly killed. However, Afghan authorities reported civilian casualties from the strikes, and international reporting said the competing casualty claims had not been independently verified.
The reported operation comes amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over allegations concerning the presence and activities of militant groups on Afghan soil. Afghan authorities have rejected Pakistan’s allegations and have reported civilian deaths from the strikes.
