Pakistani security forces were attacked in Mand area of district Kech on Saturday, leaving one dead and two others critically wounded. “Pro-independence” armed group Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
According to Frontier Corps authorities, the soldiers of FC’s 61 wing were stationed in Mand area of district Kech to protect the newly fenced Pak-Iran border. Early on Saturday morning, unidentified assailants prowling in the nearby mountains opened fire on FC soldiers. Three soldiers were caught in the firefight. They were identified as Rizwan Ahmed, Shabir Ahmed and Hussain Baksh. The latter soon succumb to the wounds and died on the spot.
The FC soldiers in the nearby checkpoint intervened, and the assailants were forced to flee.
“Pro-independence” group Balochistan Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack. In a media statement, Gohram Baloch, spokesperson for the group, said that the BLF fighters attacked the Pakistani forces stationed to guard the fencing of the Pak-Iran border in Mand. He said that the FC soldiers from the neighbouring checkpoint unsuccessfully tried to attack the BLF fighters. The machinery used in the border fencing was also heavily damaged in the attack.
Pakistan has started fencing Balochistan’s 900-kilometre border with Iran, and wherever the fencing is complete, an FC checkpoint is established for its security.
In a separate incident, unidentified armed individuals “abducted” six labourers who were erecting a cellular tower in the Marwar area of Quetta. According to the levies, the tower and its machinery were completely destroyed. The assailants released three of the labourers unharmed, whereas the remaining three are still in their custody. One of the detainees is a local resident and the remaining two are from Qila Saifullah and Punjab respectively.