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Several dead as militants attack security checkpoint in Pakistan

Pakistan's army reports at least seven dead in an attack by a group of militants at a paramilitary checkpoint in southern Balochistan province.

AFP

Pakistan's Frontier Corps personnel patrol near the newly inaugurated Badini Trade Terminal Gateway, a border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Balochistan on September 16, 2020.

At least seven Pakistani security men have been killed when a group of militants attacked a paramilitary checkpoint in a province rocked for years by an insurgency, a statement from Pakistan's army has said.

Officials say gunmen attacked the Frontier Corps post on Sunday in the district of Harnai in Balochistan province.

Senior police officer Shawli Tareen gave a slightly higher death toll than the army, saying that during the exchange of gunfire early Sunday morning, six paramilitary troops and two private guards were killed.

He said six other troops were critically wounded in the attack.

The attackers fled the scene and made their way into the mountainous terrain before other security teams could arrive to assist, Tareen said.

...to apprehend fleeing miscreants. A large scale search and clearance operation is in progress. Such cowardly acts by inimical elements backed by anti state forces will not be allowed to sabotage hard earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan. (2/3)
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) December 27, 2020

Decade of insurgency

The attack on the Frontier Corps comes a day after a bomb exploded near a soccer field, killing two spectators and wounding another six in Panjgur district in southwestern Balochistan.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack.

Similar attacks in the past have been claimed by separatist groups in the area.

Balochistan has been battling an insurgency for more than a decade.

Baloch separatists demand complete autonomy or a massive share to locals from the province's gas and mineral resources.