Days after mediating US-Iran peace talks and deploying its military, including fighter jets, to Saudi Arabia, three Pakistan Coast Guard personnel have been killed in the first recorded attack on a patrol boat in the Arabian Sea.
The incident occurred during a routine patrol near Jiwani, southwestern Balochistan province, located about 84 km from the China-funded Gwadar port and close to the Iranian border, according to Reuters.
Intelligence and police officials said the patrol boat came under fire from militants, resulting in the deaths of all three personnel on board. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the “rare” attacks, though the Baloch separatist group, the BLA, later on claimed responsibility.
“Following the operations on land, the action in maritime boundaries marks a new development in the BLA’s military strategy,” the group said in a statement, as per Reuters.
If this is actually a BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) attack, it would be the first recorded incident of the separatist group targeting the Pakistani military in maritime attacks. The BLA has historically focused on land-based operations against Pakistani security forces, infrastructure projects, and foreign workers in Balochistan, including Chinese targets.
The Pakistan Coast Guard is responsible for patrolling the country’s 1,000-km coastline along the Arabian Sea and combating smuggling, illegal fishing, and other maritime security threats. The force often operates in coordination with the Pakistan Navy in the volatile waters near the Iranian border.
Balochistan has seen a massive surge in attacks in recent years, particularly targeting Chinese-linked projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The BLA and other terror groups have frequently claimed responsibility for such attacks, describing them as resistance against what they call Pakistan’s exploitation of its resources.
Security analysts noted that an attack on a moving patrol boat at sea would require a degree of planning and access to vessels or coastal launching points, potentially indicating improved insurgent capabilities in the maritime domain. Pakistani authorities have not yet released further details on the identities of the slain personnel or more details on the attack.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday that a second round of talks with Iran could take place in Pakistan “over the next two days,” after the first round ended at the weekend without a deal.
“You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump was quoted as saying in a phone interview with a Post reporter in Islamabad.
After saying in an initial call that talks were unlikely to return to Pakistan, the Post said Trump called back minutes later to say it was “more likely” they would go back to Islamabad because the country’s army chief, Asim Munir, “is doing a great job.”
Additionally, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Israel and Lebanon to seize a “historic opportunity” for peace as the first direct talks in decades between the two countries got underway in Washington.
“This is a historic opportunity. We understand we’re working against decades of history and the complexities that have led us to this unique moment and the opportunity here,” Rubio said at the State Department as he welcomed the ambassadors of the two countries. “The hope today is that we can outline a framework upon which a current and lasting peace can be developed,” he added.
By ET Desk with AFP Inputs
