KARACHI: The Baloch Liberation Army, a militant separatist group in Pakistan, denied involvement in an attack that killed at least 21 mine workers, condemning the violence.
Dozens of attackers stormed a cluster of small private coal mines in Pakistan’s restive southwest on Friday with guns, rockets and hand grenades, killing some miners in their sleep and shooting others after lining them up.
“Baloch Liberation Army condemns the massacre of 21 Pashtun workers in Dukki, making it clear that our organization has no involvement in this tragic incident,” the BLA said in an email late on Saturday.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the mines of the Junaid Coal Co. in the mineral-rich province of Balochistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran.
It was the worst such attack in weeks and comes days before Pakistan hosts a summit of the Eurasian group Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region, pressing demands for a share in mineral-rich resources.
Besides the separatists, the region is also home to Islamist militants, who have resurged since 2022 after revoking a ceasefire with the government.
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the South Asian nation’s government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.
The province is home to key mining projects, including Reko Diq, run by giant Barrick Gold and believed to be one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines. China also operates a gold and copper mine in the province.
At the time of the attack, a delegation from Saudi Arabia, which says it is set to buy a stake in the Reko Diq mine, was in Islamabad exploring deals as Pakistan seeks to recover from an economic crisis.
Pakistan separatist militants BLA deny involvement in attack on mines
https://arab.news/p6j2v
Pakistan separatist militants BLA deny involvement in attack on mines
- Dozens of attackers stormed a cluster of small private coal mines in Pakistan’s restive southwest
Russia’s Kaliningrad puts on brave face as isolation bites
- The Baltic states surrounding Kaliningrad, all NATO members, have been some of Ukraine’s staunchest backers since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022
KALININGRAD: Standing in the center of rainy Kaliningrad, the isolated Russian exclave surrounded by NATO countries, Russian factory worker Alexander felt confident.
Economically hit by being cut-off from its EU neighbors and physically isolated from the rest of Russia, officials and locals are putting on a brave face amid claims they are under siege from neighbors Poland and Lithuania.
The Baltic states surrounding Kaliningrad, all NATO members, have been some of Ukraine’s staunchest backers since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022.
Poland and Lithuania “want to show off, display their strength, reinforce their borders,” said Alexander, 25, who did not give his surname.
But his city is “certainly not one that surrenders,” he added, taking pride that Russia had far more weapons than its smaller neighbors.
His defiance echoes the Kremlin’s relentless criticism of NATO.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has for years accused the military alliance of breaking an apparent promise not to expand eastwards.
In June, he said Russians had been “tricked, duped on the subject of NATO’s non-expansion.”
Ukraine and the West reject that narrative as a pretext advanced by Putin to justify the offensive, which has become Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.
In Russia’s neighbors, the intensity of the confrontation is palpable.
Poland and Lithuania, which have a land border with Kaliningrad, have virtually closed their borders for Russians, bar limited exceptions.
In recent weeks, Estonia and Lithuania have reported Russian jets violating their airspace.
And Poland’s new president Karol Nawrocki said he believed Russia was “ready to hit at other countries” after NATO scrambled jets to shoot down Russian drones flying through Polish airspace.
‘Let them bark’
Kaliningrad — a previously German city called Konigsberg until it became Soviet after WWII — is strategic for Moscow.
It is home to Russia’s Baltic Fleet, as well as Iskander ballistic missiles, the same kind that Moscow regularly fires on Ukraine.
The region’s governor did not respond to an AFP request for an interview.
The Kremlin’s hard-line messages run deep with many.
Marina, a 63 year-old who works in a clothes shop, mocked the region’s EU neighbors, saying they should focus on their own problems.
“Let them bark,” she said. “I am 100 percent protected in Kaliningrad. I am not scared of NATO.”
Showing Russian tourists round the tomb of philosopher Immanuel Kant, guide Anna Dmitrik was relieved that Kaliningrad had not been targeted by the Ukrainian retaliatory drone attacks that have hit many other regions.
“It’s calm here. We are not scared for now,” she said, adding: “I don’t know what will happen next.”
Still, reminders of the war are everywhere.
Banners encouraged men to sign up to fight in Ukraine for Russia’s “victorious army.” Giant Zs — the symbol of Moscow’s forces in Ukraine — decorated buildings.
‘Life was better then’
But behind the defiance, Kaliningrad’s locals struggled with the feeling of being more isolated, and worse off, than before February 2022.
Banned from EU airspace, planes connecting the exclave to the rest of Russia must take a long detour northwards via the Gulf of Finland.
A train linking it to Moscow is physically sealed as it crosses Lithuania, with Russian passengers requiring a visa or transit permit to board.
And Vilnius has closed its border with key Russian ally Belarus for at least a month over the intrusion of balloons carrying thousands of illegal cigarettes into the EU state.
Before “you could go to Poland to shop or just take a walk. Buses and trucks were running,” said mechanic Vitaly Tsypliankov, 48.
“Life was better then,” he added.
“Now everything is closed. Everything is more expensive, absolutely everything has become costlier.”
Inflation has surged across Russia amid the Ukraine offensive, but complicated logistics hit Kaliningrad especially hard.
While Poland’s border is technically open, only Russians with EU residency can enter. Traffic into the country has virtually stopped.
Most petrol stations near the border are empty if not shut down.
The giant Baltia shopping mall, on the road to the airport, is sparsely frequented.
“Kaliningrad’s economic situation is very bad,” said Irina, a saleswoman there.
“Logistics are very complicated to bring in products from (the rest of) Russia,” she said, puffing on a cigarette.
“Everything is more expensive.”
