Militants attack govt offices in Balochistan 2 terrorists teenager among dead

    Karachi, Jul 1 (PTI) Heavily-armed militants attacked government offices and a bank in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Tuesday, killing a boy and wounding eight civilians, officials said.
    A government official said two terrorists were killed when security forces resisted the attempt of around a dozen militants to take control of a town in Mastung district in the restive province.
    No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
    Deputy Commissioner Mastung Athar Abbas Raja said that the militants attacked government offices and the bank around 11:00 AM and there was panic after multiple gunshots and explosions in the area.
    "But the security forces, including police and Frontier Constabulary, responded swiftly to the situation and the affected areas were placed under lockdown,” he said.
    He said two terrorists were killed while one 16-year-old boy also lost his life in exchange of firing.
    "Around eight people were injured during the firing by the terrorists,” he said, adding that they have been taken to hospital for treatment and the situation is under control now.
    According to Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, militants launched the armed attack and the security forces responded to it.
    The paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), Counter Terrorism Department and Levies personnel cordoned off the site and surrounded the terrorists.
    “Two terrorists were killed and three others injured in the exchange of fire between the security forces and the terrorists,” Rind said on X.
    He said a full-scale operation is underway against the militants present in the area. “Intelligence-based action is being taken to protect the citizens and arrest the terrorists,” he said.
    He alleged that militants were affiliated with a proxy group linked to India.
    In the past, India has rejected such allegations and slammed Pakistan for attempting to blame it for attacks in the country.
    Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has been in the grip of low-level violence for the last two decades. The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has emerged as a key perpetrator of violence in Pakistan in 2024.
    Ethnic Baloch groups involved in armed struggle accuse the federal government of exploiting the mineral wealth of the region.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)