14 servicemen martyred in Gwadar ambush

Bomb attack targeting police patrol kills five in DI Khan

RAWALPINDI/PESHAWAR:

In a sudden uptick in terrorist violence, more than 20 people, among them 14 servicemen, were martyred in separate attacks in the northwest and southwest of the country on Friday, officials have confirmed.

“Two vehicles of the security forces moving from Pasni to Ormara in Gwadar district were ambushed by terrorists,” the military’s media wing, the ISPR, said in a brief statement on Friday evening. “Fourteen soldiers embraced shahadat in the unfortunate incident,” it added.

It further stated that a sanitisation operation was being carried out in the area and “perpetrators of this heinous act will be hunted down and brought to justice”.

The military reiterated its determination to “eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country”, saying that “such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve”.

Balochistan has been in the grip of a bloody separatist insurgency since 2006 which has been exasperated by militant, sectarian, and ethnic violence over the years.

Civil and military officials have repeatedly claimed that “hostile agencies” have also been fuelling terrorism to destabilise Pakistan for their geopolitical interests.

The involvement of “hostile agencies” was confirmed in March 2016 when Pakistani intelligence agencies arrested Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving commander of the Indian Navy in the Mashkhel area of Balochistan after he crossed over from neighbouring Iran.

Jadhav admitted in his subsequent video confession that India was involved in bankrolling terrorism in Pakistan. New Delhi has publicly opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multibillion-dollar project that also includes development of Gwadar deep seaport.

Over in the northwest, a bomb targeting a vehicle carrying officers of the K-P Elite Force killed six people in Dera Ismail Khan. Police official Muhammad Adnan said it was not immediately clear whether it was a planted device or a suicide bomber targeted the vehicle.

Some reports suggest that the bomb was strapped to a motorcycle which might have been remotely detonated as the police patrol drove past.

Also read: Mastung blast toll hits 60 as suspicion falls on RAW

Six people were martyred and 21 injured in the blast, rescue official Aizaz Mehmood told The Express Tribune. Most of the fatalities were between 15 and 20 years of age, he said, but was not able to provide a break-up of police and civilians.

There were reports that as rescuers started shifting the casualties to hospitals, unidentified gunmen opened fire on police personnel present there. Some students of the Government Degree College, who happened to be at the site, were also injured in the post-bombing shooting.

Police cordoned off the area and mounted a search operation.

In a separate incident, a young man was killed in a blast targeting a joint police-army patrol near the Hathala police station in DI Khan. Preliminary investigation suggests that the explosive device was planted by the roadside and detonated remotely. The attackers attacked the security forces with small arms soon after the bomb went off.

The caretaker K-P government condemned the blasts, saying that killing innocent people was a “cowardly and barbaric act”.

It added in a statement that terrorists could not demoralise the nation and the law enforcement agencies with such cowardly attacks.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar condemned the blasts and extended condolences to the grieving families. As per the state-run APP news agency, the premier instructed relevant authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured.

He said the war against terrorists would continue until terrorism was eradicated in the country. “Thanks to the sacrifices of the law enforcement agencies, we have been thwarting the evil intentions of terrorists,” he added.

Also read: 12 security men martyred in Balochistan

Separately, the ISPR said that three incidents occurred in K-P.

“An intelligence based operation was conducted in the general area of Rori, Dera Ismail Khan district and one terrorist was sent to hell, while two terrorists were injured.”

The military’s media wing stated that the killed terrorist has been identified as Usama, a TTP suicide bomber, who was planning to carry out a high-profile incident in the area.

In the second operation conducted in Lakki Marwat district, the ISPR said, one terrorist was sent to hell and various terrorists’ hideouts were busted.

However, “during intense exchange of fire two soldiers; Naik Zafar Iqbal (age: 37 years, resident of Gujranwala district) & Sepoy Haji Jan (age: 30 years, resident of Ghizar district, Gilgit-Baltistan), having fought gallantly embraced Shahadat”.

In another incident, the ISPR said, an improvised explosive device exploded in the general area of Kulachi, DI Khan district and resultantly, “Havildar Shahid Iqbal (age: 39 years, resident of Mirpurkhas district) embraced Shahadat”.