Four members of the security forces and two civilians were killed in clashes with a separatist group, which left a total of 15 dead, in Balochistan province, in southwest Pakistan, the army announced.
The Minister of Information of Balochistan, Jan Achakzai, told AFP on Tuesday January 30 that six rebels had died in these fights, which occurred during the night.
But the army clarified in the evening that
“nine terrorists including three suicide bombers”
had been killed.
However,
“four valiant members of the security forces”
and
“two innocent civilians”
also lost their lives, the Army Communications Service (ISPR) added in a statement.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a local separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan, a large, poor and sparsely populated province, has long been the scene of ethnic, sectarian and separatist violence.
It is rich in hydrocarbons and minerals, but its population complains of being marginalized and robbed of its natural resources.
According to human rights organizations, military repression has led to a number of disappearances and extrajudicial executions.
Tensions in Balochistan increased in mid-January, when the Pakistani army carried out a strike against BLA fighters taking refuge in Iran, across the border, in response to an Iranian missile and drone attack against a
“terrorist”
group
on Pakistani soil.