Two fidayeen women led attacks through Balochistan targeting govt offices, banks
As a 24-hour wave of synchronised violence swept through Balochistan over the weekend, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) released the photos of two women fidayeens — Asifa Mengal (23) and Hawa Baloch (24) — who carried out the attacks on symbols of Pakistan’s authority in the restive province.The two women swapped their regular lives to join the BLA’s Majeed Brigade, their fidayeen squad and blew themselves up at different locations during the offensive Herof 2.0 that saw BLA rebels attacking govt offices, banks and Frontier corps HQ and other military installations across Kalat, Gwadar, Mastung, Noshki, Kharan, Turbat, and Pasni areas. The BLA’s media wing, Hakkal, also released the footage of the attacks and hostages on social media.According to BLA, Asifa, born in 2002 in Noshki, diverged from a conventional life, eventually taking part in a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack against the ISI headquarters in her hometown on Jan 31, 2026. The BLA said that it was on her 21st birthday in 2023 that Asifa joined their Majeed Brigade. Her path was mirrored by Hawa Baloch, an aspiring writer from the Kech district. For Hawa, the conflict was personal; she followed the trajectory of her father, Nabi Baksh Baloch, also a BLA member, who was killed in Sistan, Iran in 2021. She had joined the Majeed Brigade after her father’s killing.The wave of attacks saw around a dozen participants ranging from 60-year-old Hatam Naz Sumalani to 70-year-old Nako Fazal Baloch who blew themselves up at different locations during the violence. But by trading classrooms and social media feeds for the frontlines, Mengal and Baloch have signalled a deepening crisis within the province.Both BLA and Pak govt have claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties with the BLA’s claim pegging the Pak personnel deaths to over 100. Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti said that they had eliminated over 145 rebels. The operation has involved suicide bombings, grenade attacks on police stations, and the capturing of highways to block military. Instances of violence were reported through Monday also though the scale seems to have reduced.
