Pakistan: Militants kill 7 paramilitary troops at checkpoint

Another 18 soldiers, some in critical condition, were admitted to local hospitals

Published: Sat 16 Nov 2024, 5:28 PM

Image used for illustrative purpose. Photo: File

Militants stormed a paramilitary checkpoint in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing seven troops, the latest in a string of attacks by separatist insurgents, police said.

The early-morning attack in the mountainous Kalat district, some 150km south of Quetta, capital of the southwestern Balochistan province, continued for several hours, said police officer Habib-ur-Rehman.

Another 18 wounded paramilitary soldiers, some in critical condition, were admitted to local hospitals, he said.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack.

Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said in an email sent to a Reuters reporter that its fighters had attacked the checkpoint.

The group has stepped up its operations recently, claiming a suicide bombing last week that targeted Pakistani army troops at a railway station minutes before they were due to board a train to return home for vacations. It killed 27, including 19 soldiers, who were in civilian clothing.

The group also claimed a suicide bombing last month outside the southern Karachi international airport, which killed two Chinese engineers.

The BLA and several other militant groups have been fighting for decades for a separate homeland to gain a greater share of the mineral and resource rich Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

The region is home to Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment in President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China’s global reach by road, rail and sea.

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