2024: Friday, August 30

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — AUGUST 30 2024

Good morning. Today’s the last newsletter of the week - we’ll see you again on Monday.

Welcome to your daily international conflict update.

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Today’s updates:

1. 🇵🇰 Pakistan: Terrorist group BLA kills 74 in brutal series of attacks

2. 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Russian forces advance on Pokrovsk

1 - PAKISTAN

Terrorists killed more than 70 people in attacks beginning Sunday night in the Balochistan province in southern Pakistan. The attacks struck various targets, ranging from police stations to railways and highways.

On a highway that connects the provinces of Punjab and Balochistan, terrorists from the group Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) stopped 22 vehicles and ordered the people out. The terrorists then checked everyone’s identity cards and shot 23 people who were identified as Punjabi. Many of the vehicles were then set on fire.

The BLA stated that the brutal attack was part of their broader campaign against what they call the “occupying Pakistani military.” Punjabis are the largest ethnic group in Pakistan. BLA strikes in recent days total at least 74 killed.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and poorest province and is home to around 15 million people. The province is rich in resources like copper, coal, oil, and gold, and shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. 

The BLA has been at war with the Pakistani government for decades, with the goal of securing independence for Balochistan. Their current actions seem intended to create chaos in the region and reduce Chinese support for Pakistan.

Read more on Independent or Business Standard

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2 - UKRAINE

Russian forces are continuing their offensive efforts toward the town of Pokrovsk from two directions - from the east to first seize Myrnohrad and then proceed to Pokrovsk, and another from the southeast that is also working to remove vulnerabilities to counterattacks.

In Kursk Oblast, Russian authorities are establishing new volunteer territorial defense units in response to the recent Ukrainian incursion, showing Russian President Putin's unwillingness to counter the incursion more seriously, and leaving the military free to continue their advances in Ukraine.

It was also confirmed that a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashed while defending against Russian missiles. Both the plane and the pilot were lost. The Ukrainian air force is made up mostly of older jets, and given that their air force is a tenth the size of Russia's, any loss of their modern weapons is a cost.

Read more on ISW

THE REST OF THE WORLD…

• 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan: Agreement reached with U.S. to keep Afghan military aircraft in Uzbekistan. [Daily Sabah]

• 🇸🇩 U.S. Senator urges international community to employ diplomatic measures to prevent impending RSF attack in Sudan: [Sudan Tribune]

P.S. If you have a source, tip, or piece of information we missed, please reply to this email and tell us about it. Thank you!