QUETTA, Jan 13: At least 18 people, including six security personnel, were killed and many others injured in a gun battle between armed men and paramilitary forces, a landmine blast and a rocket attack in Dera Bugti district and Margat coalmine area, near Mach, during the last two days.
The railway traffic between Quetta and the border town of Chaman was suspended as saboteurs blew up a railway line. Operations in different areas of Kohlu district were also reported.
Jamhoori Watan Party Secretary General Agha Shah Bugti accused security personnel for killing 12 Bugti tribesmen in custody. He further said that 16 people, including women and children, were also killed late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning during fighting between security forces and Bugti tribesmen in Dera Bugti and the Loti gas field area.
However, official sources said that the armed tribesmen were killed in a gun battle with paramilitary forces as the former had attacked the Pir Koh gas field along with other armed tribesmen.
According to official sources, three personnel of the Frontier Corps were killed and three others injured in a remote-controlled landmine explosion which took place in the Pathar-Nallah area of the Pir-Kohlu gas field on Eid Day.
“The FC vehicle was blown up with the help of a remote-controlled landmine,” a senior officer of the Dera Bugti administration said, and added that it was returning after distribution of rations at different checkposts,” a senior official of the Frontier Corps said, and added that the injured were admitted in the PPL Hospital, Sui.
He identified the dead as Mulla Bakhsh, Mohammad Sadiq and Mohammad Zafar, all of whom were soldiers.
Official sources said that after the landmine incident a group of around 40 armed tribesmen attacked the Pir Koh gas field using heavy weapons, including rockets, against security forces.
Security personnel deployed in the area retaliated by returning fire and during heavy fighting 12 Bugti tribesmen were killed. “Armed men wanted to destroy or capture the Pir Koh gas field,” Abdul Samad Lasi, District Coordination Officer, Dera Bugti, claimed while confirming the killings.
However, Mr Agha said that after the landmine incident security forces raided a village near Pathar Nallah, near Pir Koh, arrested 12 Bugti tribesmen and took them to their base camp.
“All 12 tribesmen were shot dead in custody by the FC men in reprisal for the killing of three security men in a landmine explosion,” he told Dawn and contested the government claim about their being killed in a gun battle.
He wondered as to why no casualty occurred on the other side during the heavy gun battle.
Three more security personnel were killed in the Margat coalmine area of Bolan district in a rocket attack at a base camp of security forces engaged in an operation against armed militants late on Thursday night.
According to sources, unidentified armed men fired eight rockets one of which hit the security forces post, resulting in killing three soldiers on the spot and injuring two others. They were identified as Ghulam Shabir, Ghulam Farid and Mulazim Hussain.
However, a caller identifying himself as Merick Baloch and spokesman of the Baloch Liberation Army claimed that the BLA was behind the rocket attack on security forces.
PARAMILITARY FORCES: Paramilitary forces once again started an operation in different areas of Kohlu district, including Tartani, Peshi, Nisao, Jhabbar, Karimo Wadh, Tali and Kanhan area after a gap of a few days. Helicopter gun-ships were participating in the operation against alleged miscreants, during which some casualties were also reported.
A tribesman, Allah Bakhsh Marri, told this correspondent by the telephone that two people, including a woman, were killed and three others injured in the operation, and added that fighting was also going on in the Margat coalmine.
However, official sources denied that any operation was taking place in Kohlu district. They said that action had already been taken against the hideouts of outlaws in the area.
According to official sources, the train service between Quetta and the border town of Chaman remained suspended on Friday as the railway tracks a few miles away from Quetta had been blown up late on Thursday night.
“A two-feet-long piece of railway tracks was blown up in the powerful blast suspending the railway link with the border town Chaman,” Pakistan Railways officials said, and added that the damaged tracks were being replaced and the train service for Chaman would restart by Saturday morning.
