Adolescent girls who were ‘brainwashed’ into suicide attacks in Balochistan were rescued.
QUETTA – Two teenage girls who were allegedly trained to carry out suicide attacks were rescued during a security operation in South Balochistan. The girls allegedly revealed a disturbing recruitment network that used calls for grief, loss and revenge to lure vulnerable youths into militancy.
A major security operation in southern Balochistan foiled an alleged plot to use two teenage girls in a suicide attack, officials say, in a case that has exposed disturbing patterns of recruitment, psychological manipulation and torture allegedly linked to the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
The two girls, identified by authorities as 16-year-old Zainab and 12-year-old Fatima, were reportedly taken into protective custody after security forces acted on a tip-off about their transfer from an undisclosed location. The revelations related to the girls during the interrogation raised serious concern over the alleged exploitation of minors for militant activities.
Balochistan Interior Minister Mir Ziaullah Longo, while holding a press conference with the two girls, said the purpose of the briefing was to highlight what he termed as the activities of “Fitna-ul-Hindustan”. According to the minister, Zainab’s husband, Saif, was among several of her family members who were allegedly killed after a local BLA commander rejected recruitment efforts.
The minister claimed that eight to ten members of Zainab’s extended family had been killed and that the commander continued to contact Zainab after Saif’s death. According to Zainab’s statement, the commander blamed state institutions for her husband’s death and encouraged her to take revenge.
Zainab told investigators that Fatima was her cousin and often stayed with her, which eventually led to the younger girl’s contact with the same commander. Officials alleged that Fatima’s father was also killed in the BLA attack. The girls were allegedly subjected to emotional manipulation and enticed to join the organization by inciting revenge. This case is particularly alarming as Fatima is reportedly only 12 years old.
The two girls reportedly said that they eventually reached the BLA camp after being influenced by messages of revenge against state institutions. He mentioned being held at an unknown location for over a month. The girls reportedly told investigators that they were tortured while incarcerated there. He also allegedly alleged that the commander made improper suggestions to him.
When the girls insisted on meeting the commander, they were allegedly told that he was traveling to a neighboring country and would meet him upon his return.
Officials said the plan came to light after security forces received a tip-off about the transfer of the girls to another location. Acting on the tip-off, security personnel reportedly intercepted the transfer and took the two girls into safe custody, in what authorities described as a possible suicide attack involving minors.
The girls thanked the security forces, and appealed for forgiveness from the government and the public. Apart from the immediate security operation, the case raises a deeply troubling question, how are vulnerable children being used as instruments of violence?
The charges brought by authorities point to a recruitment strategy allegedly built around demands for personal harm, grief and revenge, followed by isolation and preparation for violent acts.
In a major intelligence operation in Balochistan, a network of female suicide bombers was exposed.
The post ‘Brainwashed’ teenage girls rescued for suicide attacks in Balochistan appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
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