GWADAR: The security forces on Wednesday repulsed an attack by militants on a complex outside the strategic port of Gwadar, killing all eight of them, officials said. China has invested heavily in the mineral-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, including developing Gwadar, despite a decades-long separatist insurgency.
Armed with guns and bombs, the militants stormed the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) complex just outside the port that houses offices of government departments, intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces, said Saeed Ahmed Umrani, a government commissioner.
The militants detonated a number of bombs before launching a shooting attack and trying to storm the complex, he said.
In a post on social media platform X, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said eight militants were “neutralised by security forces”, adding: “The message is loud & clear. Whosoever chooses to use violence will see no mercy from the state.”
The military said in a statement issued later in the evening that a group of eight terrorists attempted to enter Port Authority Colony in Gwadar, which was successfully thwarted by the security forces personnel.
“Own troops employed for security responded immediately and effectively engaged the terrorists, and in ensuing fire exchange, all eight terrorists were sent to hell,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the killed terrorists.
“However, during the intense exchange of fire, two brave soldiers; Sepoy Bahar Khan (age: 35 years, resident of District DG Khan) and Sepoy Imran Ali (age: 28 years, resident of District Khairpur) having fought gallantly, sacrificed their lives and embraced Shahadat,” said the military’s media wing.
“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace and stability of Balochistan, and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of several separatist groups in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the assault in a statement, saying its militants attacked Pakistan intelligence agencies’ offices.
The BLA has previously been involved in attacks on Pakistani and Chinese interests in the region and elsewhere.
The deep-water port is key to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that also encompasses roads and energy projects and is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Chinese targets have previously come under attack by several Baloch militant groups in the country.
In January, security forces successfully repulsed terrorist attacks in Balochistan’s Mach and Kolpur areas, killing more than a dozen BLA attackers.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, reported that multiple terrorists, including suicide bombers, launched attacks on Mach and Kolpur complexes in Balochistan.
Law enforcement agencies responded effectively, resulting in the neutralisation of at least nine terrorists.
However, four courageous members of the security forces, engaged in fierce combat, sacrificed their lives, along with two innocent civilians, in the intense exchange of fire.
In November, two vehicles of the security forces moving from Pasni to Ormara in Gwadar district were ambushed by terrorists.
At least fourteen soldiers were martyred in the attack.
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. –Agencies
