Conflicts & War

Attack on Pakistan military post kills at least 13

Islamabad, May 13 (EFE).- At least 13 people, including a civilian and six soldiers, have been killed in an attack on a military post in southwestern Pakistan, the army Saturday said.

The incident also included a civilian hostage situation that ended with the combing operation on Saturday morning.

Six people, including a woman, suffered injuries in the gunfight that began on Friday.

The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement that insurgents stormed a Frontier Corps compound in the Muslim Bagh area of northern Balochistan, killing six soldiers and a civilian.

The army launched a counter-operation to hunt down the assailants, which led to a hostage situation with the insurgents using civilians as a shield, the military statement said.

The militants had taken three families, including their children, hostage, after abducting them from a residential block.

“All six terrorists in the compound, who were well equipped, have been sent to hell,” the military said.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan has witnessed a spike in militant attacks, including in Balochistan.

The attack is the latest in a series of attacks in the volatile Balochistan province, which has battled decades of insurgency against what rebels allege is the unfair exploitation of resources in the mineral-rich region.

The region borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It has a long coastline on the Arabian Sea. It is home to Pakistan’s largest natural gas field.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) usually claims attacks on security forces and is among the most prominent separatist groups in the region. EFE

aa-igr-ssk

Related Articles

Back to top button