QUETTA: At least thirteen people including three security personnel were killed Saturday in two separate incidents in Balochistan's Kalat and Dera Bugti districts, an official said.
Spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps, Khan Wasey, said that an FC vehicle was patrolling in Balochistan's Kalat district when it was targeted with an improvised explosive device, killing three soldiers.
He said six soldiers suffered serious wounds while their vehicle was completely destroyed in the attack. “The forces were quick at the scene to shift the injured to hospital,” Wasay said.
Three soldiers inside the vehicle were killed on the spot, he added.
In a separate incident in the province’s troubled district Dera Bugti, 10 militants were killed during an exchange of fire on Saturday morning.
Wasay said an armed clash between forces and armed militants erupted in Darinjan and Rustam Bazar areas of Sui, a tehsil of Dera Bugti district.
“Forces quickly responded and 10 militants were killed on the spot,” Wasey said. He said that the forces also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the militants. “The soldiers recovered anti-tank mines and other weapons from the possession of militants,” he added.
More personnel were called into the area to bring the situation under control.
Independent sources could not confirm how the exchange of gunfire started between the militants and security forces. Prior to this incident, the FC spokesman said that the forces also arrested five suspects involved in blowing up gas pipelines in the area.
Dera Bugti, one of the least developed districts in Balochistan, has been under the grip of violence for over the past seven years. Militants in the area have been targeting security forces and vital national installations.
