Shafaqna Pakistan: Security forces killed 12 armed attackers after militants ambushed a convoy linked to the Reko Diq copper and gold mining project in Chagai district on Monday, security officials said.
According to officials, the attackers targeted the convoy while it was travelling from the project site towards Quetta. The assailants reportedly attempted to intercept the vehicles before opening heavy fire.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said around three dozen empty Reko Diq project vehicles were travelling under security escort when they came under attack in the Nokacha area of Chagai.
Security personnel accompanying the convoy immediately took defensive positions and returned fire, triggering an intense exchange that lasted for more than two hours. Two security personnel were injured during the gunbattle, officials said.
Officials initially said that 11 terrorists had been killed at the scene, adding that arms and ammunition, including heavy weapons, were recovered from the attackers. However, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti later said 12 terrorists had been killed in the exchange of fire.
Officials from the Reko Diq project did not respond to a request for comment.
CM Bugti said intelligence-based targeted operations against terrorists were continuing successfully and consistently across the province.
“There will be no negotiations with those who take up arms against the state and shed the blood of innocent citizens,” he wrote on X, adding that elements choosing the path of terrorism and violence would be dealt with according to the law.
He said the state would not compromise on its writ or the protection of the lives and property of the people.
CM Bugti said security forces and law enforcement agencies were conducting effective and coordinated operations to establish peace and stability in Balochistan. Indiscriminate action would be taken against terrorists and their facilitators, and every attempt to undermine peace in the province would be foiled, he added.
Source: Dawn News
