Lt. Gen. Sarfraz Ali, commander of the Quetta Corps, and five other people, the majority of whom were senior military commanders, were killed when a Pakistani military helicopter was shot down in Balochistan on Monday. Baloch rebels have taken responsibility for the attack.

On Tuesday evening, Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) took to Twitter and stated, “Fighters of Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) targeted a Pakistani military helicopter in a mountainous range between Windar and Noorani in Balochistan yesterday. A detailed statement will be released to the media later today.”

Earlier, the Pakistani military’s ISPR media agency confirmed that the crash claimed the lives of six persons, including Lt. General Sarfraz Ali. The others are Naik Mudasir, Major Saeed, the pilot, Major Talha, the co-pilot, and Brigadier Amjad Haneef (DG Coast Guard) (crew member).

The tragic helicopter’s wreckage, which was on flood relief operations, was discovered in Musa Goth, Windar, and Lasbela, according to an ISPR tweet.

In October of last year, Lt. General Sarfraz was reportedly interviewed by former prime minister Imran Khan for the position of director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Two Baloch nationalist groups, the United Baloch Army (UBA) and the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), declared their dissolution and the creation of a new group, the Baloch Nationalist Army, in January (BNA).

According to a news report from The Balochistan Post, the councils of the two organizations met in Balochistan to discuss the political situation in the province and how to continue their resistance against the Pakistani forces. Beebagr Baloch, a spokesman for the BRA, and Mureed Baloch, a spokesman for the UBA, made the announcement in a joint statement.

The new group will continue to be a component of the Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar, and Mureed Baloch will serve as its official spokesperson (BRAS). The BNA’s Central Command Council will organize and plan the resistance against the armies of Pakistan.

The wreckage of the chopper has been recovered, according to the daily Balochistan Post’s Twitter account, which is affiliated with militant organizations. All aboard, including high top military officers from Pakistan, have perished.

The possibility that the chopper was shot down was also left open in the tweet. The tweet reads, “Yet to be determined what caused the crash as the weather in the vicinity is clear with winds of 11-15 mph and precipitation of less than 10%.”

Between Windar and the Sassi Punnu shrine, the chopper was on its way from Quetta, Balochistan, to Karachi.

In Islamabad, the shock has spread over the “disappearance” of the helicopter. Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, posted a tweet, “The reports of the missing helicopter of Army Aviation are very concerning. The whole nation bows in front of Allah for safety and return of personnel involved in flood relief operations.”

 

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