Six policemen killed protecting Spanish cyclist near Quetta
Armed men opened indiscriminate firing and wanted to kidnap the foreigner: official of Mastung Levies.
The second victim was one of the robbers killed by the guard’s firing. PHOTO: FILE
QUETTA:
Six personnel of Balochistan Levies personnel were killed and a Spanish cyclist sustained injuries after they were ambushed by a group of armed men in Mastung district, about 45km from Quetta, on Wednesday.
According to Assistant Commissioner Mastung Shafqat Shahwani, a Levies mobile was escorting the Spanish cyclist who was coming from Taftan, town in Chagai district which shares border with Iran, when it was attacked on the national highway in Mastung.
“Armed men opened indiscriminate firing and wanted to kidnap the foreigner,” a local official at Mastung Levies station said.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in parts of the province and Western hostages could be expected to fetch a high price.
Police said they did not know why he was cycling through such a dangerous area. He was assigned the escort by security forces because Balochistan is plagued by kidnappers, militants, a violent separatist insurgency, sectarian killers, paramilitary death squads and drug traffickers.
Two young Czech women taking the same route by bus were kidnapped in March and are still being held.
"Six of our security men have been killed trying to save the Spanish cyclist, who has suffered minor injuries," said Shafqat Anwar Shawani, the assistant police commissioner for Mastung district. One attacker was also killed, he added.
Six personnel of Levies received multiple bullet wounds on upper torso and died on the spot while the foreigner received a bullet wound. The attackers fled from the scene after retaliation by Levies personnel.
More Levies personnel and security forces reached the spot and started a manhunt in the area.
The Spanish cyclist reached Mastung on Tuesday evening but stopped from proceeding towards Quetta after the suicide attack on Shia pilgrims which left 23 people killed and more than 31 injured.
The cyclist was coming from Iran and wanted to go to Quetta.
Six personnel of Balochistan Levies personnel were killed and a Spanish cyclist sustained injuries after they were ambushed by a group of armed men in Mastung district, about 45km from Quetta, on Wednesday.
According to Assistant Commissioner Mastung Shafqat Shahwani, a Levies mobile was escorting the Spanish cyclist who was coming from Taftan, town in Chagai district which shares border with Iran, when it was attacked on the national highway in Mastung.
“Armed men opened indiscriminate firing and wanted to kidnap the foreigner,” a local official at Mastung Levies station said.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in parts of the province and Western hostages could be expected to fetch a high price.
Police said they did not know why he was cycling through such a dangerous area. He was assigned the escort by security forces because Balochistan is plagued by kidnappers, militants, a violent separatist insurgency, sectarian killers, paramilitary death squads and drug traffickers.
Two young Czech women taking the same route by bus were kidnapped in March and are still being held.
"Six of our security men have been killed trying to save the Spanish cyclist, who has suffered minor injuries," said Shafqat Anwar Shawani, the assistant police commissioner for Mastung district. One attacker was also killed, he added.
Six personnel of Levies received multiple bullet wounds on upper torso and died on the spot while the foreigner received a bullet wound. The attackers fled from the scene after retaliation by Levies personnel.
More Levies personnel and security forces reached the spot and started a manhunt in the area.
The Spanish cyclist reached Mastung on Tuesday evening but stopped from proceeding towards Quetta after the suicide attack on Shia pilgrims which left 23 people killed and more than 31 injured.
The cyclist was coming from Iran and wanted to go to Quetta.