Police say at least eight suspected militants killed in Pakistan — Dawn
At least eight suspected militants were killed in a clash with the pro-government tribal militia Bugti Peace Force in the Loti area of Pakistan’s Dera Bugti district in Balochistan province. One militia member was killed and three others were wounded, Dawn reports, citing police.
According to law enforcement authorities, the militia detained seven people suspected of belonging to a banned group after the fighting. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Attack in the Loti area
Sources told the publication that armed men attacked the house of Dera Bugti district council chairman Ghulam Nabi Shambani and a gas company camp in Loti with heavy weapons in the morning. Bugti Peace Force members guarding the facilities returned fire.
The shooting lasted for more than an hour. According to sources, both sides used heavy weapons, including rockets. After the initial battle, some of the attackers left the scene, but later that day they attacked the district council chairman’s house again. The bodies of eight people killed were taken to Loti hospital, sources said.
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Police said the slain militia member was Fazal Khan, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Three wounded members of the Bugti Peace Force were hospitalized.
Attacks in Khuzdar
Separately, unknown assailants shot dead tribal leader Sardar Ghulam Nabi Siyahpad in the Naal area of Khuzdar district. According to police, the attackers on motorcycles opened fire on him while he was sitting near his home and then fled.
Unknown assailants also fired at the house of National Party central leader and former provincial minister Sardar Muhammad Aslam Bizenjo in the city of Naal. Bizenjo was not at home at the time, and one of his guards was wounded. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the two attacks.
The National Party’s Khuzdar district chapter condemned the shooting and called for an immediate, transparent and impartial investigation, as well as security for Bizenjo, his family and his home.
