Balochistan attack: Insurgents kill eight members of a family

Frontier Corps later killed six of the attackers in a clash.

SOHBATPUR: At least eight members of a family, including women and children, were killed by a dozen or so insurgents from the outlawed Baloch Republican Army (BRA) after they stormed their house in Sohbatpur district on Sunday.

According to police sources, around a dozen men armed with automatic weapons attacked the house of a local landlord, Ghazi Khan Marhata Bugti, in the Doudatba area early in the morning at around 1:30 am.

The attackers indiscriminately fired at the residents and killed Ghazi Khan, his wife Sehat Khatoon, brother Imam Bux, sister-in-law Mungal Khatoon, son Pathan Khan and three grandchildren.

According to reports, the attackers were drawn into a firefight with the local peace militia just as they were fleeing the area. Two insurgents and one militia member died in the shoot-out.

The deceased insurgents were later identified as Shera Hamzani Bugti and Madu Sundrani Bugti, members of the banned militant outfit. According to reports, the BRA accused Ghazi Khan of collaborating with the security forces.

According to the FC spokesperson, following the reporting of the incident by local residents, FC’s special squad reached the spot and threw a cordon round the area.

Later, the FC troops engaged the alleged attackers in an hours-long firefight.

The FC claimed that six more terrorists were killed as a result of their retaliatory measures. The paramilitary force also claimed to have captured a huge cache of arms.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2014.