Second Attack On The Pakistan Army: Four Personnel Killed In Armed Conflict In Balochistan

Pakistan witnessed a second attack on its armed forces in Balochistan in a span of 24 hours, where four personnel were killed in an armed conflict with unidentified men on Sunday (17 February), reports Dawn.

The four soldiers, belonging to the Frontier Corps were attacked during a change of shifts at two check-posts located in the mountainous area on the outskirts of Panjgur town. However, no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack.

The soldiers who died in the conflict are Lance Naik Abdul Rehman, Sepoy Nasibullah, Sepoy Noman and Haq Nawaz. This attack comes only hours after two FC soldiers were killed in a similar attack in Loralai.

These two attacks coincided with a deadlier suicide (fidayeen) attack carried out against the Pakistan Army convoy near Balochistan on Sunday (17 February) which killed at least nine personnel and left 11 more injured.

Such acts of violence come only days after the Pulwama terror strike in which a similar suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy, killing more than 40 Indian jawans in Kashmir.

Baloch Insurgency?

Balochistan, the poorest of the four provinces in Pakistan, has been regularly hit by insurgencies since Pakistan annexed the autonomous Baloch state of Kalat in 1948. Targeted killings, suicide attacks and abductions are a common sight in the separatist province.

Also Read: Genocide In Balochistan: Why Pakistan Must Pay The Price