Ambush in Kalat: Three FC men die in roadside blast

No group claimed responsibility for the attack that also left six troops wounded.


Shezad Baloch March 02, 2014
No group claimed responsibility for the attack that also left six troops wounded. PHOTO: FILE

QUETTA:


Three Frontier Corps (FC) troops were killed and six others injured on Saturday in a remote-controlled roadside bomb in the Sorab area of Kalat district.


FC spokesperson Khan Wasay told The Express Tribune that it was an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on the RCD Highway near Sorab. “The FC convoy was en route to Panjgur from Kalat when it was attacked,” he said, adding that six personnel sustained splinter wounds. One of the four vehicles in the convoy was damaged in the blast.

Rescue workers, Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and more troops reached the scene soon after the incident. The bodies and the injured were taken to a hospital in Quetta. “An investigation into the bombing has been initiated,” the spokesperson said. Police and security forces have cordoned off the area and have launched a manhunt.

According to security officials, around six to eight kilogrammes of explosive material was used in the blast. “The target was the FC convoy,” said Nazir Kurd, a senior police officer of Kalat.

Baloch separatist groups usually claim the responsibility for targeting paramilitary troops in Balochistan.  However, there have been no such claims for the latest attack.

10 ‘militants’ slain

The FC claimed on Saturday to have killed 10 suspects involved in attacks on gas pipelines and other subversive activities in the Sui area of Bugti Tribal Territory. “Suspects hiding in a cave opened fire at FC personnel during a search operation in Darinjan Nalla. In retaliation, 10 Bugti militants were killed and some sustained injuries,” FC spokesperson Khan Wasay told The Express Tribune.

After receiving a tip-off, the paramilitary force began a search in Darinjan Nalla and Rustam Bazaar areas. “There was a heavy exchange of fire between miscreants and FC,” he said.  “Security forces have seized IEDs and arms from their houses in the area.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2014.

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