Islamabad, Nov 16, (dpa/GNA) – At least seven soldiers from Pakistan’s paramilitary forces, were killed in an overnight attack in south-western Pakistan, officials said on Saturday.
The attack at a check point in Kalat, a district in the most volatile province of Balochistan, left more than 10 soldiers wounded, a spokesman for the local police said.
A combing operation to hunt down the terrorists in the area was under way, he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the attack and resolved to root out terrorism from the country, in a statement issued by his office.
Local media reports said the banned group of rebels, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attack.
The BLA, a group of ethnic Baloch guerilla militants that is fighting for independence from Pakistan, is behind a surge in attacks, particularly on soldiers in recent months.
Last week, a suicide bomber from the outlawed group, targeted soldiers at Quetta railway station. The attack killed 26 people including soldiers and left more than 60 wounded.
Earlier, the group targeted a delegation of Chinese workers at Karachi airport.
Much of the violence is seen against Chinese projects in Pakistan, to connect China’s Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea to reach markets in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and beyond.
Baloch militant and political groups, accused China of stealing their land and resources, including several hundred kilometres of shoreline.
GNA