[ The Balochistan Post ] Who is “Baloch Nationalist Army”?—TBP Feature Report
Baloch Republican Army (BRA)
BRA was formed after the military operation in Dera Bugti and murder of a renowned Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti, by Pakistan Army in 2006. In the beginning, the group was mostly joined by Bugti tribesmen but later years it gained popularity among Baloch students and in urban areas of Balochistan to fight against the “Pakistani oppression”.
…
In October 2018, BRA went through a dissension when the membership of a prominent regional commander of the group Gulzar Imam alias Shambay was cancelled in a press release by the BRA spokesman, Sarbaz Baloch. According to analysts and local political circles, After the above mentioned internal dispute, BRA got divided in two factions, majority of the fighters stayed with Gulzar Imam.
…
Imam’s BRA faction later joined the BRAS, then an alliance of three other armed groups, which was initiated by the BLA chief Aslam Baloch and the prominent BLF leader Dr. Allah Nizar Baloch, subsequently it was joined by another Baloch armed group, Baloch Republican Guards.
United Baloch Army (UBA)
UBA is a scion of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), when in 2010 the then alleged leader of BLA, Hyrbyair Marri accused his brother Mehran Marri of corruption who was caretaker of BLA affairs in his absence and is currently the alleged head of the UBA. The accusations of corruption were never proved.
…
…another dispute between UBA commander and spokesperson Sarfraz Bangulzai alias Mureed Baloch and UBA leadership created two factions of the group last year.
…
Subsequently, Mureed Baloch’s UBA merged with BRA, thus forming the Baloch Nationalist Army. Now the BNA will be a part of the BRAS alliance, of which the BRA was already an ally including 3 other Baloch armed groups.
Baloch Raji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS)
In 2017 Baloch Liberation Army had to go through another organisational dispute, which resulted in emergence of a new BLA head Aslam Baloch aka General. In August 2018, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said in a media statement that it does not have any representatives in London, Europe or the US.
…
Aslam Baloch was one of the most senior commanders of BLA and later the head of the organisation until his death in a suicide attack in December 2018. He was also the founder of the BLA’s Majeed Brigade, the deadliest group ever existed in Baloch movement. Majeed Brigade is known for its deadly self-sacrificing attacks. One of the Brigade’s member was Aslam Baloch’s 22-year-old son who carried out a suicide attack on August 11 2018 on the Chinese engineers in Balochistan.
Aslam Baloch is considered as the architect of the Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), an umbrella organisation formed on November 10, 2018. It is comprised of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Republican Army (BRA), Baloch Republican Guards (BRG), and recently joined by a pro-independence armed group from Sindh province, Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA).
BRAS is known for its massive attacks on Pakistan Army and other security forces. BRAS has claimed multiple deadly attacks on Pakistani forces across Balochistan. Since the coalition, a serge has been witnessed in armed attacks on Pakistani troops and government installations.
DPA Notes: Above are just the highlights of a very rare elaboration of the Balochistan separatist groups. It’s probably a reaction to the post that I have written a few days ago that is not elaborate enough (lack of information online) as well as possible inaccuracy (due to the inaccurate information online).
I would highly recommend anyone who would want to know more to go to The Balochistan Post article to read more on it.
Article: https://thebalochistanpost.net/2022/01/who-is-baloch-nationalist-army-tbp-feature-report/