QUETTA, June 8: At least 18 people, including 13 members of a criminal gang, were killed on Friday in a fierce gunbattle with security forces in Chagai district, near the Afghan border.
“The leader of the gang, Mohammad Azam, was killed in the gunfight,” Chagai Deputy Commissioner Dr Tufail told Dawn, adding that the criminals killed in the fierce gunfight were wanted in several heinous crimes.
According to sources, the armed group killed Haji Mohammad Raza Khan of the Mohammad Hasni tribe, a son of tribal elder Sardar Ali Mardan, in the Chagai bazaar on Thursday.
Soon after the incident, Levies and armed tribesmen started pursuing the assailants and surrounded them in a mountainous area of Zarkan, some 10km north of Chagai town. The armed men opened firing on the Levies personnel and tribesmen, who returned fire, killing 13 members of the criminal group.
Three tribesmen were also killed in the gunbattle which continued for several hours during which the assailants used heavy weapons, including rockets and RPG.
“The gang has been active in Chagai and other districts of Balochistan for 20 years,” Dr Tufail said, adding that it was wanted in a number of cases of murder, looting, attacks on government and security officials and kidnapping for ransom.
“Gang members were wanted in heinous crimes in both sides of the border,” officials said.
A large quantity of arms and ammunition, including heavy machineguns, RPG, rockets, rocket-launchers and other automatic weapons, loaded in two vehicles were seized.
A senior Levies officer said Sardar Ali Mardan had an old enmity with the gang over the killing of a brother of the gang leader sometime ago by people of the Mohammad Hasni tribe. The group killed Haji Mohammad Raza to settle scores.
The officials said that 13 members of the criminal gang and five tribesmen had been killed in two days of bloody gunbattle.
However, Levies personnel remained unhurt in the encounter.
“We have deployed more security personnel in Zarkan and Chagai to avert further clashes,” Dr Tufail said, adding that the situation was now under control.