QUETTA: Pakistan Army has claimed to have killed 24 alleged terrorists during a clearance operation following the coordinated attacks in Mach and Kolpur areas launched by militants earlier this week.

In a statement issued on Friday, the military’s media wing said four security personnel and two civilians also embraced martyrdom.

The militants launched three “coordinated attacks” using rockets and sophisticated weapons on the night of Jan 29 in Mach, some 70 kilometres from the provincial capital Quetta, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The terrorists also targeted a hotel and six shops in the Kolpur area and set them on fire.

Security forces “offered stiff resistance” and repulsed the attack, ISPR said and confirmed that in the subsequent operation, which lasted for three days, twenty-four terrorists were killed.

The statement identified some of the deceased militants as Shehzad Baloch, Attaullah, Salahuddin, Abdul Wadood and Zeeshan. The identification process of remaining terrorists was underway, ISPR added.

The banned outfit Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) Majeed Brigade claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Disputed death toll

Officials in Quetta have claimed that around a dozen civilians, including a police officer and two other security personnel, lost their lives when armed militants attacked a police station and railway station in Mach.

Six bullet-riddled bodies, including that of three labourers and three truck drivers, killed by the terrorists, were found in Mach and Pinjara Bridge near Dhadar.

During the heavy gun battle, the attackers also took some citizens hostage in their homes. However, they were also freed by security forces in the subsequent operation.

Earlier reports suggested that militants fired at least 15 rockets at March town, which landed and exploded near the walls of the Mach prison’s residential colony, outside the main prison gate and other areas of the small town.

The jail authorities said all in­­mates remained safe as terrorists were not allowed to enter the prison as security forces foiled their jailbreak attempt.

The National Highway, which links Quetta with Sindh and Punjab, remained closed for over two days due to the attacks, leaving a large number of vehicles stranded at Dhadhar.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2024