Two Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts members lost their lives and another was injured when militants ambushed a security checkpoint on the Karakoram Highway near Chilas early Friday.

Police said the assailants “opened fire from a hilltop” around 12:15am, leaving behind grenades and shell casings before escaping. The fallen soldiers were identified as Naib Subedar Khush Dad and Havaldar Ashraf, while Lance Naik Sajid Ali sustained abdominal injuries.

Officials reached the site within 20 minutes, and the wounded were shifted to Chilas Regional Headquarters Hospital. The attack drew swift condemnation. Interior Minister Shamsul Haq Lone described it as “a conspiracy against peace” and vowed that the state would pursue those responsible. Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan also called the assault “an act of extreme cowardice.”

The checkpoint had been set up in December 2023 after a deadly bus attack in the same area that left nine passengers dead and 21 wounded.