The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has said two women fighters, Hawa Baloch and Asifa Mengal, had participated in its latest offensive in Balochistan, an operation the group says has unfolded across
multiple districts for more than 40 hours.
The BLA had circulated high-definition videos of the two women before their missions and argued that the recruitment of female fighters reflects what it termed a strategic and ideological evolution within the organisation.
It further characterised ‘Operation Herof Phase II’, launched on January 31 and February 1, 2026, as one that involved simultaneous assaults in urban and rural locations.
The BLA claims women fighters were deployed to exploit cultural sensitivities around searching females at checkpoints, potentially enabling them to move closer to high-security targets.
Official claims released to the media and cited by news agency IANS state that the BLA issued multiple communiqués through its channel “Hakkal,” asserting that fighting had spread across a wide geographical stretch of the province.
In one such release, the group published footage from clashes in Gwadar, identifying Hawa Baloch, also known by the alias Droshum, as a female “fidayeen” who it said was killed during the attacks.
Hawa Baloch’s recruitment is directly tied to her father (Nabi Bakhsh)’s death in combat in 2021.
The BLA described the recording as her “final message,” allegedly sent twelve hours before her death, and said she urged Baloch women to join what she called the armed resistance.
The group also named Asifa Mengal, aged 23, asserting that she carried out a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack on January 31 against the Inter-Services Intelligence headquarters in Noshki.
According to multiple reports, the BLA claimed more than 200 Pakistani personnel were killed and 17 captured during the offensive, while acknowledging that 18 of its own fighters, including 11 from its Majeed Brigade, had died.
However, official Pakistani figures sharply contradicted the insurgent narrative.
Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said at least 145 militants and 17 members of the security forces had been killed in counter-terrorism operations over the same period.
The Pakistan Army, according to news agency PTI, stated that 92 militants, including three suicide bombers, were killed during clearance operations launched after attacks across several towns.
Bugti also told reporters that militants had used two women bombers in Pasni and Quetta and accused insurgent groups of exploiting social media to spread disinformation and radicalise young people.
He ruled out negotiations with outfits such as the BLA, while saying that doors remained open for those willing to surrender.
