Armed men kill seven paramilitary troops in Pakistan

file

Armed men stormed a paramilitary checkpoint in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing seven troops, the latest in a string of attacks by separatist insurgents, police said.

The early-morning attack in the mountainous Kalat district, some 150 km south of Quetta, capital of the southwestern Balochistan province, continued for several hours, said police officer Habib-ur-Rehman.

Another 18 wounded paramilitary soldiers, some in critical condition, were admitted to local hospitals, he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack.

The separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said in an email sent to a Reuters reporter that its fighters had attacked the checkpoint.

The group has stepped up its operations recently, claiming a suicide bombing last week that targeted Pakistani army troops at a railway station minutes before they were due to board a train to return home for vacations. It killed 27, including 19 soldiers, who were in civilian clothing.

The group also claimed a suicide bombing last month outside the southern Karachi International Airport, which killed two Chinese engineers.

The BLA and several other groups have been fighting for decades for a separate homeland to gain a greater share of the mineral and resource-rich Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

The region is home to Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment in President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China's global reach by road, rail and sea.

More from International

  • 56 dead at Guinea Soccer Match

    A controversial refereeing decision led to violence and a deadly crush during a soccer match in southeast Guinea, resulting in at least 56 deaths, according to a provisional toll released by the government on Monday.

  • Pro-Iranian armed groups enter Syria to support Syrian army

    Iranian-backed groups entered Syria overnight from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to beef up Syrian army forces battling a coalition of rebels, according to two Syrian army sources.

  • Egypt hosts Hamas in new Gaza ceasefire push

    Hamas leaders held talks with Egyptian security officials on Sunday in a fresh push for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, two Hamas sources said, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold security talks on the matter, two Israeli officials said.

  • UNRWA pauses aid delivery through Kerem Shalom as looting increases

    The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has paused its delivery of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, citing lack of safety as looting by armed criminal gangs continued. 

  • Biden says he has pardoned his son, Hunter

    US President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, a reversal after pledging to stay out of legal proceedings against the younger Biden who pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.