Harnai blast: Death toll rises to eight

Security forces round up suspects for interrogation

QUETTA: The death toll has increased to eight in the Harnai bomb attack as two personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), who were wounded in the attack, succumbed to their injuries during treatment at a hospital on Tuesday.

The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Monday, FC personnel were patrolling between Shahrag and Khost areas when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on their route, which martyred six troops and injured two.

The two wounded personnel, who succumbed to their injuries, were identified as Subedar Hayatullah and driver Saadullah, while the ones martyred during the blast on Monday were Lance Naik Yousaf Imran, Sepoys Shahabuddin, Muhammad Fayyaz, Muhammad Omer, Naeem and Fazlur Rehman.

The bodies of all the eight FC personnel were dispatched to their native towns after offering funeral prayers, which was attended by senior officers of the FC.



Commander Southern Command Lieutenant-General Amir Riaz and IGFC Balochistan Major-General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum visited Harnai and chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation.

Important decisions regarding peace and security were taken during the meeting.

Sector Command FC also met the local tribal leaders.

Meanwhile, BLA spokesman Jeiand Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a remote-controlled blast.

“The BLA has carried out a remote-controlled blast, which caused the death [martyrdom] of eight soldiers,” he claimed in a statement received by some media men through email.

After the attack, the security forces conducted a search operation in the mountainous area of Harnai and Khost and rounded up suspects for interrogation.

Furthermore, the condition of one FC operative, who was injured in the firing of suspected militants in Naag area of Panjgur district on Monday evening, is said to be stable. One soldier had embraced martyrdom in the attack.