Four FC men martyred in Quetta attack

Unidentified men opened fire on the personnel at Quetta's Sariab road

QUETTA: At least four Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred in an incident of firing in Quetta on Wednesday.

The personnel were targeted near Dukani Baba area on Sariab Road when they were patrolling a railway line.

"The soldiers were guarding the railway track when three to four armed men attacked them,” Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jha Ansari told reporters at the crime scene.

“Security forces have [earlier] foiled several attempts to bomb passenger trains and recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in the same area,” he added.

Ansari said the firing occurred at around 7:45am when the morning rush is not quite there. Investigation teams have collected evidence from the site, he said.

The bodies of the martyred soldiers were shifted to Civil Hospital, Quetta for autopsy. They were identified as Nayak Saeed Ahmed, Muhammad Aslam, Shabbir and Amjad Haroon.



Condemnations

Condemning the killings, Governor Mohammad Achakzai expressed condolences to the bereaved families. He urged the law enforcement agencies to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo also strongly condemned the incident.

“Our brave soldiers have sacrificed their precious lives to protect the people of Balochistan. We are proud of our soldiers battling a coward enemy,” he remarked.

Bizenjo reiterated the resolve to chase the enemy down wherever they are hiding and bring them to justice.

Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti and Adviser to CM for Information Anwarul Haq Kakar denounced the attack. “We will track the terrorists and take revenge from them,” he said.

On January 15, five troops of F were martyred and six others sustained injuries when their vehicles were ambushed in Shapok area in Kech district.