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QUETTA/ISLAMABAD – Terrorists belonging to Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) stormed a paramilitary checkpoint in Balochistan’s Kalat on Saturday and martyred at least seven soldiers, the latest in a string of attacks by the terror group, police said.
Reportedly, the early-morning attack in the mountainous Kalat district, some 150 km south of Quetta, capital of the southwestern Balochistan province, continued for several hours, said police officer Habib-ur-Rehman. Another18 wounded paramilitary soldiers, some in critical condition, were admitted to local hospitals, he said.
The terrorist group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said in an email sent to a wire service that its members had attacked the checkpoint. The same group claimed last week suicide bombing that targeted Pakistani Army troops at a railway station minutes before they were due to board a train to return home for vacations. It had martyred 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 two Chinese nationals.
“Around 40 to 50 armed terrorists attacked a border post manned by the Frontier Corps Balochistan in Kalat district, killing seven soldiers and wounding 15 others,” a local official told a wire service on condition of anonymity. “The exchange of fire lasted several hours,” he added. A local civilian administrative officer confirmed the number of casualties, adding that the wounded were “airlifted from this remote area to (provincial capital) Quetta for medical treatment”.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday strongly condemned the terrorists’ attack on ‘unarmed civilians’ in Johan area of district Kalat, Balochistan. The prime minister prayed for the elevation of ranks of those killed in the incident and grant of courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss with equanimity. In a statement issued by the PM Office Press Wing, the prime minister directed to provide best medical facilities to those injured in the incident. He also ordered to take immediate actions against the people involved in the incident and give them exemplary punishment.
Condemning the terrorists’ cowardly attack on the innocent civilians, the prime minister said the elements involved in spreading unrest and insecurity in Balochistan were the enemies of the people and development of the province. Such despicable acts cannot shake the government’s commitment to the development and prosperity of Balochistan, he said adding that the cowardly attacks cannot weaken the nation’s resolve. He vowed to crush the evil designs of the enemies of Pakistan saying that the government will continue its war till the complete eradication of the menace of terrorism from the country.