ISLAMABAD: Six Pakistani soldiers and 22 militants were killed in three separate gunfights in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Saturday.
Nine militants were killed and six injured in a gunfight during an intelligence-based operation in KP’s Tank district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Ten militants were killed in another operation in the North Waziristan district, while six Pakistani soldiers were killed while repulsing a militant attack, which left three assailants dead, on a check-post in the Kurram district.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji [militant] found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement. “Security Forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe-out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve.”
The attack targeted the check-post near Bagan, a populated locality in Kurram district where fierce sectarian fighting has killed at least 130 people during the past few weeks. However, a ceasefire between the area’s Sunni and Shia communities is holding and the attack on the security check-post was not connected to the recent clashes.
“Kurram is calm but tense amid acute shortage of medicines and edibles,” Kurram police spokesman Riaz Hussain told Arab News.
A jirga, a council of tribal elders, which announced an indefinite ceasefire in Kurram on Friday, was meeting rival Shia and Sunni tribes for a solution to their differences stemming from land disputes.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Last week, an army captain among two Pakistani soldiers and eight militants were killed in two separate operations in KP’s Bannu and Khyber districts, the Pakistani military said.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
Six Pakistani soldiers, 22 militants killed in restive northwest
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Six Pakistani soldiers, 22 militants killed in restive northwest
- The soldiers died in an attack in Kurram district where fierce sectarian fighting has killed at least 130 people in past few weeks
- Pakistan has blamed a surge in militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegation
China backs Pakistan in fight against militancy after deadly Balochistan attacks
- China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan and has pledged over $65 billion in major infrastructure projects, including in Balochistan
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says ‘we mourn for lives lost, and our hearts go out to injured and those who lost loved ones’
ISLAMABAD: China condemns the recent attacks that killed more than 200 people in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, reaffirming Beijing’s support for Pakistan in its fight against militancy.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group launched coordinated attacks in several cities across Balochistan on Saturday, killing 33 civilians and 17 security personnel. Officials said 117 militants were killed in skirmishes and follow-up operations.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces, foreigners and non-local Pakistanis and kidnap government officials.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan and has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“China strongly condemns the [Balochistan] attacks... We mourn for the lives lost, and our hearts go out to the injured and those who lost their loved ones,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing on Tuesday.
“China firmly opposes any form of terrorism and will as always firmly support Pakistan in combating terrorism, maintaining solidarity and social stability, and protecting the safety of the people.”
Chinese nationals working in Pakistan have often been targeted by militants, particularly in the southwestern Balochistan province, where China is developing a deep seaport that is touted as the crown jewel of CPEC.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said last week the attacks, claimed by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), were planned from India. New Delhi rejected the allegation as “baseless,” saying Islamabad was attempting to deflect attention from its internal challenges.
Balochistan is home to vast reserves of minerals and hydrocarbons. Separatist militant groups such as the BLA blame Islamabad for exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources and denying locals a share in them. The military and civilian government reject these allegations and say they are investing in the province’s development.
