Gunmen stormed a paramilitary checkpoint in southwestern Pakistan, killing seven troops, the latest in a string of attacks by insurgents, police has said.

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

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

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said in an email sent to a Reuters reporter that it 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 fought for decades 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.

Source: TRT World 

BDST: 2000 HRS, NOV 16, 2024
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