QUETTA: Armed gunmen launched a brazen attack on the main bazaar in tehsil Zehri of Khuzdar district on Wednesday morning, setting fire to multiple government build­­ings, including a Levies Force station, Nadra and municipal committee offices and a bank, after seizing control of the area.

According to officials, around 80 militants entered the area at about 11pm from nearby mountains, deploying armed men around the bazaar and other locations in the tehsil headquarters of Zehri. They set up checkpoints around the Zehri bazaar and pickets on the mountains to resist any action from security forces.

The militants stormed the Levies Thana, took the personnel hostage, ransacked the records, and set the building on fire, damaging part of the structure, furniture and other items.

The armed men later attacked a private bank branch, took the staff hostage and looted over Rs90 million from the strongroom, according to bank officials in Quetta.

The banned Baloch Libera­tion Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Kalat Commissioner Naeem Khan Bazai told Dawn that the armed militants had entered Zehri on five vehicles and over 20 motorcycles, equipped with the latest automatic weapons. “They remained in the area for at least eight hours,” he said, adding that when security forces arrived and launched an operation, the militants escaped, taking two Levies vehicles with them. They also took away 20 AK-47 rifles, 4,000 rounds of am­m­unition and 10 motorbikes.

The militants also attacked the offices of Zehri municipal committee, ransacked records, and set the building on fire. The office of the National Dat­a­­base and Registration Autho­rity was also targeted, with official records, computers and other equipment being destroyed.

The militants used a loudspeaker at the main mosque to announce their control over the bazaar and other areas, making speeches to the people gathered there.

Upon receiving information about the militants’ presence, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an operation against the attackers. Military helicopters were also called in to assist with the operation.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2025