Four Pakistani soldiers were killed on Friday when terrorists
attacked their patrol in the southwestern Balochistan province from
across the border in Iran, the military said, adding that contact
is being established with Tehran for action against those involved
in the assault.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan army’s
media wing, said in a statement that “a group of terrorists
operating from the Iranian side” attacked a routine patrol of
Pakistani security forces operating along the border in the Jalgai
Sector of the Kech district in Balochistan.
Four soldiers were killed in the attack, the ISPR said, adding
that necessary contact with Tehran is being made for effective
action against “terrorists on the Iranian side and to prevent such
incidents in the future.”
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
This was the second incident in three months, as terrorists from
across the Pakistan-Iran border attacked security personnel in the
remote Panjgur district and killed four soldiers in January.
Later, while strongly condemning the attack, Pakistan’s Foreign
Ministry urged Iran not to allow “terrorists” to use its soil to
launch attacks inside the South Asian nuclear country.
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army has been carrying out
attacks on security forces in the province, and the military has
been working for a long time to eliminate terrorist hideouts in the
province.
Mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest, but the poorest
province. It is a key route for the $64 billion China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor, which is part of Beijing’s Belt and Road
initiative.
China is also developing the Gwadar port and is involved in
other projects in the restive province.
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