By Islamuddin Sajid
ISLAMABAD (AA): At least 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack on a security check post near the country’s southwestern border with Iran, the Pakistan Army said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the army said “terrorists” carried out the attack in Kech area of Balochistan province.
“1 terrorist was killed and several injured,” the army added.
Later in a search operation, three terrorists were arrested.
“The armed forces are determined to eliminate terrorists from our soil no matter what the cost,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.
The Balochistan Liberation Front, an outlawed militant group in the province, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the attack.
“Every drop of the blood of the soldiers guarantees the security of the country,” the prime minister said. “The cowardly enemy faces a strong nation that has already defeated terrorism,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, said in a report that the country witnessed a 56% surge in militant attacks during the year 2021 after a consistent decline in the attacks during the previous six years.
The large Balochistan province is strategically important due to the rich resources of copper, zinc and natural gas.
Balochistan, which makes up 42% of Pakistan, is a key route to the $64 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which aims to connect China’s strategically important northwestern Xinxiang province to the Pakistani port of Gwadar through a network of roads, railways and pipelines to transport cargo, oil, and gas.
Additional report by The Muslim News
[Map of Pakistan from the CIA Factbook/Public Domain]
