Security official among two killed, five people injured in militant attack

Of the five injured, three were security officers. They were heading to their homes in Punjab when they were attacked.

QUETTA: At least two people, including a security official, were killed and three security men among five others wounded when unidentified armed men targeted a passenger wagon near Rakhni area of Barkhan district, on Friday. 

According to Levies Force sources, a passenger van was heading towards Barkhan from Loralai when a group of armed men, who had taken up positions on nearby mountain tops opened fire as the van neared.

“The incident took place near Rakhni. Two occupants, including a security official, were killed on the spot while five others received serious wounds in the attack,” a Levies official confirmed.

Sources said, some security forces were heading to their hometowns in Punjab to spend their vacations when they were attacked by a militant group. The assailants fled from the scene after targeting the van.

Those injured, and bodies of the dead were taken to a nearby state-run hospital where the deceased were identified as security official Hasnain Majeed, and a civilian Sayed Mohammad. “Three security men among five were injured in the attack,” a local official said.

Levies personnel and other law enforcement agencies reached the site after the incident and started a search operation in the area to trace the attackers. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack till the filing of this report.