QUETTA: Unknown armed men torched a Levies checkpoint in Panjgur and attacked two trucks on the Quetta-Taftan highway, setting them on fire, officials said on Wednesday.

Both incidents occu­rred between Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday, according to officials.

Reports indicated that armed assailants on motorbikes targeted a Levies checkpoint on the outskirts of Panjgur town late at night. The attackers fir­ed a rocket that exploded near the post, then overpowered the Levies personnel stationed there.

The attackers ransa­ck­­ed the post, seized weapons and communication equipment, and held the personnel hostage before setting the post ablaze. Security forces, including Levies and other agencies, laun­ched a search operation in the area to apprehend the attackers.

A senior police officer in Panjgur confirmed the attack but did not verify reports of weapons being looted.

“The armed men destroyed the checkpoint by setting it on fire,” the officer stated, adding that the rocket appeared to have been fired from a long distance.

In a separate incident, unidentified armed men intercepted two trucks on the Quetta-Taftan highway near Noshki on Tuesday night. The trucks, reportedly transporting minerals to Quetta, were fired upon before being set alight.

“Both trucks were completely gutted,” an official said, but confirmed that no casualties occurred during the attack. Secur­ity forces rushed to the scene and conducted a search operation, altho­ugh no arrests were made.

It was the second attack on trucks in the past week along the highway connecting Quetta with Iran. Last week, two trucks were burnt by armed men in a similar assault.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2025