- Two jawans embrace martyrdom repulsing attack claims by Majeed Brigade of BLA
- Two terrorists killed, two others injured in separate IBO conducted in KP’s North Waziristan
GWADAR/ISLAMABAD: The security forces on Wednesday killed eight terrorists and repulsed an attack by militants on a complex outside the strategic port of Gwadar, security officials and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed.
However, two brave soldiers – Sepoy Bahar Khan and Sepoy Imran Ali – having fought gallantly, sacrificed their lives and embraced Shahadat during the intense exchange of fire,” said the military’s media wing.
Armed with guns and bombs, the militants stormed the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) complex just outside the port that houses offices of government departments, intelligence agencies, and paramilitary forces, said Saeed Ahmed Umrani, a government commissioner.
The militants detonated several bombs before launching a shooting attack and trying to storm the complex, he said.
In a post on social media platform X, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said eight militants were “neutralised by security forces”, adding: “The message is loud & clear. Whosoever chooses to use violence will see no mercy from the state.”
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There were reports of at least one soldier killed and others wounded, Umrani said. The military did not give details.
A statement from the United Nations Department for Safety and Security said “several explosions followed by continuous firing” were reported during the attack on the complex, adding that the facility hosts several government and paramilitary offices.
The statement added there were no immediate reports of casualties, elaborating that seven personnel from three UN agencies based in Gwadar and two UN agencies on missions were “safe and accounted for”.
The military said in a statement issued later in the evening that a group of eight terrorists attempted to enter Port Authority Colony in Gwadar, which was successfully thwarted by the security forces personnel.
“Own troops employed for security responded immediately and effectively engaged the terrorists, and in ensuing fire exchange, all eight terrorists were sent to hell,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the killed terrorists.
“However, during the intense exchange of fire, two brave soldiers; Sepoy Bahar Khan (age: 35 years, resident of District DG Khan) and Sepoy Imran Ali (age: 28 years, resident of District Khairpur) having fought gallantly, sacrificed their lives and embraced Shahadat,” said the military’s media wing.
“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace and stability of Balochistan, and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.
The Majeed Brigade of the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack, in a statement, saying its militants attacked Pakistan intelligence agencies’ offices.
The BLA has previously been involved in attacks on Pakistani and Chinese interests in the region and elsewhere.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, according to a press release, also condemned the terrorist attack and congratulated security forces for repelling it.
The deep-water port is key to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that also encompasses roads and energy projects and is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Chinese targets have previously come under attack by several Baloch militant groups in the country.
In January, security forces successfully repulsed terrorist attacks in Balochistan’s Mach and Kolpur areas, killing more than a dozen BLA attackers.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, reported that multiple terrorists, including suicide bombers, launched attacks on Mach and Kolpur complexes in Balochistan.
Law enforcement agencies responded effectively, resulting in the neutralisation of at least nine terrorists.
However, four courageous members of the security forces, engaged in fierce combat, sacrificed their lives, along with two innocent civilians, in the intense exchange of fire.
In November, two vehicles of the security forces moving from Pasni to Ormara in Gwadar district were ambushed by terrorists.
At least fourteen soldiers were martyred in the attack.
Balochistan has been in the grip of a bloody separatist insurgency since 2006 which has been exasperated by militant, sectarian, and ethnic violence over the years.
Civil and military officials have repeatedly claimed that “hostile agencies” have also been fuelling terrorism to destabilise Pakistan for their geopolitical interests.
The involvement of “hostile agencies” was confirmed in March 2016 when Pakistani intelligence agencies arrested Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving commander of the Indian Navy in the Mashkhel area of Balochistan after he crossed over from neighbouring Iran.
Two terrorists neutralised, as many injured in NWA IBO
Meanwhile, the security forces on Wednesday killed two terrorists and injured two others after an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said in a statement.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intense fire exchange took place between the army troops and the terrorists during the conduct of the operation.
Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area, it said.
“Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area as Security Forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe-out the menace of terrorism from the country,” the ISPR said.
