Armed terrorist kill 20 in Pakistan in a mining quarter in Balochistan to cause disruption in the country.
Armed assailants have killed 20 miners and injured another seven at a small private coal mine in southwest Pakistan, police said, raising security concerns just days before a major international summit is set to be held in the country.
Armed Terrorist kill 20 in Pakistan
The attackers broke into the miners’ quarters in Dukki district in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Thursday night, gathered the workers together and opened fire, local police official Hamayun Khan Nasir said on Friday.
It is no coincidence that the level of terrorism has gone up in Pakistan with the arrival of England’s Cricket team.
It attracts the world media to Pakistan and significantly International cricket provides a barometer for stability in the country, which makes it a target for terrorists.
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns across the country, especially in Balochistan where a terrorist attack in August claimed at least 50 lives.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which a police official confirmed to the WTX NEWS in Pakistan. It comes just two months after more than 50 people were killed in a series of attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army, the largest of many ethnic militias in the vast province.
Terrorism has surged in Pakistan since the country has been moving over to stability and property, a concern for the neighbouring India who has a vested interest in the country’s failure.
“A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” said Duki Station House Officer (SHO) Humayun Khan.
They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well, he added.
Johar Khan Shadizai, a doctor in Duki, said: “We have received 20 bodies and six injured so far at the district hospital.”
Duki District Council Chairman Khairullah Nasir also confirmed the incident, stating that the miscreants used “hand grenades, rocket launchers and other modern weapons” in the attack.
Attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army
He added that the attackers also set fire to “10 coal engines and machinery”. The district administration, police and Frontier Corps (FC) teams had reached the site of the incident, Nasir confirmed.
On Monday, the BLA – designated a terrorist group by Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States – claimed responsibility for an attack targeting Chinese nationals near Pakistan’s largest airport.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) most prominent among them. It is a militia group which armed and backed by India.