Quetta [Pakistan], July 20 (ANI): The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for a deadly bomb blast that killed a senior Pakistani Army officer in Quetta on Saturday evening, The Balochistan Post reported.

According to initial reports, a magnetic IED explosion targeted a vehicle near the city's Jinnah Road area, resulting in the death of Major Anwar Kakar, an active-duty officer associated with the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) cell of the Pakistan Army's 12 Corps. The Balochistan Post reported that Major Anwar was a native of Pishin, a Pashtun-majority district in Balochistan, and the son of Haji Akbar Kakar.

CCTV footage reviewed after the incident shows two motorcyclists discreetly attaching a magnetic explosive device to the vehicle, which detonated shortly afterwards, killing the officer on the spot. The Balochistan Post reported that no other casualties were confirmed at the time of reporting.

Major Anwar had served for more than a decade in the Pakistan Army and was reportedly involved in major counter-insurgency operations against Baloch pro-independence armed factions across the province. Notably, he had previously sustained injuries in the BLA's high-profile 'Zerpahazag' attack in 2019, when four suicide attackers from the Majeed Brigade laid siege to the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar for nearly 24 hours, The Balochistan Post reported.

In a brief statement released late Saturday night, the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying its Special Tactical Operations Squad (STOS) as the unit behind the operation. The BLA stated that the attack was based on precise intelligence gathered by its internal unit, Zirab, and promised to release a detailed report of the mission in the coming days, The Balochistan Post reported.

This latest incident underscores the persistent volatility in Balochistan, where Baloch nationalist insurgent groups have repeatedly targeted security forces in their decades-long struggle against the Pakistani state, The Balochistan Post reported. (ANI)