More than a dozen dead in Balochistan attack in Pakistan

A Frontier Corps camp in the unsettled area was attacked, killing at least 13 people.

At least 13 people, including soldiers, have been killed in an attack on a security facility in southwestern Pakistan.

A Frontier Corps camp in the Muslim Bagh area of ​​northern Balochistan was attacked in the early hours of Friday. The military launched an operation to rescue hostages and clear the area, the military’s media arm, Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement Saturday.

“At least six soldiers and one civilian were killed in the operation,” it said. Another six people, including a woman, were injured.

The dead included all six attackers whom the military said were well equipped and stormed the compound.

“The complex eviction operation also included a hostage rescue operation to rescue three families from a residential block. The terrorists had not spared even children from their horrific approach,” the statement said.

“The security forces, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart all attempts to sabotage the peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” it said.

Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan province is strategically important due to its rich copper, zinc and natural gas reserves.

Cities in the province are a constant target of armed groups.

Much of the violence is seen as a rebel response to China’s investment plans in the region to connect Xinjiang province to the Arabian Sea in Balochistan through a network of roads and railways.

Attacks targeting law enforcement and workers, especially those involved in projects initiated by China under a $62 billion investment plan, are common in Balochistan.

Authorities claim to have put down the armed uprising, but violence continues. The restive province has seen attacks from both the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the armed group ISIL (ISIS).

In February, an explosion at a busy market in Barkhan killed at least four people and injured 14.