Pakistan Launches Attack on Balochs in Iran After Iran's Air Strikes on Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan

Baloch kids in Iran — Baloch children photographed in Ashkutu, Iran, March 2017. The Baloch or Baluch are a people who live mainly in the Balochistan region of the southeastern-most edge of the Iranian plateau in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, as well as in the Arabian Peninsula (Oman). Photo: *Mostafameraji*

Today, the Pakistan military's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) media branch announced that Pakistan had carried out air strikes in Iran on locations it believed held members of Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front. Both of the organizations have been struggling to liberate Balochistan (Baluchistan) from the oppression of Pakistan.

The air strikes were in response to Iran's air strikes targeting bases of the Saudi-CIA-Mossad backed Sunni terrorist group Jaish al-Adl, which had been carrying out terrorist attacks in Iran and retreating to safety in Pakistan where it has training camps and hideouts under the protection of Pakistan's corrupt military. It is a spin-off of the Pakistan based terrorist group Jundullah.

Pakistan condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and claims that the attack killed women and children. In retaliation, it carried out its own attacks on Balochs in Iran.

Balochistan is a culturally and ethnically distinct region with a history that goes back some 10,000 years. Arab forces invaded Balochistan in the 7th century and forcibly converted the Baloch people to Islam and they have been trying to regain their independence ever since. In 1877, Britain and Iran divided Balochistan into several parts, with the British region ruled by the Baluchistan Agency as part of its colonization of India. Britain had originally promised independence to at least part of Balochistan when decolonizing India but at the last minute made it part of Pakistan.

Nearly half of Pakistan is Balochistan, but less than 4% of Pakistan's total population lives there. The region is very rich in minerals but is one of the poorest, with the vast majority living in deplorable conditions while their wealth is looted by Pakistan and China.

By forcing Balochistan into three different countries, Britain ensured conflict long into the future.

Different liberation movements, resistance groups and paramilitaries have emerged from various tribes and some have been co-opted by foreign and national forces both to prevent a unified Baloch liberation movement and to use different groups for geo-political purposes. Sunni Saudi Arabia as well as Israel and the U.S. use Baloch terrorist groups to attack Shia Iran. Iran uses Balochs to push back against Pakistan and Afghanistan when required. Pakistan uses corrupt Balochs as mercenaries wherever needed.

With fascist Israel's genocide on Palestinians facing resistance from Iran, Israel has been ramping up attacks on Iran from any terrorist group it has some control over and that includes not just Al Qaeda, Daesh (ISIS) and Kurds but also Pakistani Baloch terrorists such as Jaish al-Adl.

In response to the attacks from Pakistan the Baloch Liberation Army issued a statement saying, “Now the Baloch Liberation Army will not remain silent. We will avenge it and we announce war on the state of Pakistan.”