Security forces killed four militants belonging to banned outfits who had set up roadblocks in various parts of Balochistan on Wednesday. The affected areas have also been cleared.
Armed men blocked the Coastal Highway N-10 near Ormara in Gwadar and Regional Corporation Development Highway N-25 near Xali in Mastung, according to local sources. Militants also blocked the Sindh-Balochistan N-65 Highway in Kolpur, Kacchi district and reportedly used a tractor to destroy a section of the road.
In Ormara, militants offloaded passengers from a Karachi-bound bus and shot five of them dead after identification. Another three were reportedly abducted. The death toll was confirmed by Highway Police SSP Hafeez Baloch to Dawn.
However, security forces carried out operations to successfully open up the highways by the end of the day. At least four militants were killed in the clearance operation.
Footage of the roadblocks revealed flags of the Baloch Liberation Army and Baloch Liberation Front being carried by the militants who established the roadblocks.
A security official told Khabar Kada that such attacks are ‘media gimmicks’ orchestrated by terrorist organisations to get ‘more funding from their sponsors’.
“Such attacks have no value except that poor people are robbed and looted by BLA terrorists. Civilians propert is damaged and torched which mostly belongs to the Baloch people,” the security official added. “This also manifests the brutalities and ruthlessness of the terrorist against innocent people.”
According to Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the highest number of terrorist attacks in the country in February were reported in Balochistan. A total of 32 attacks were reported in the province, claiming the lives of 35 civilians and 10 security forces personnel. Meanwhile 11 militants were also killed in the province. In March, the Jaffar Express was hijacked by militants near Sibi, resulting in the deaths of 26 people. A rescue operation had killed 33 terrorists to free the hostages.
