By Staff Reporter
7 people were on Wednesday killed when Baloch separatists armed with guns and bombs attacked Pakistan’s strategic Gwadar port.
A government official said that seven militants were shot dead by security forces. They had forcibly entered the Gwadar Port Authority Complex and opened firing, according to officials.
Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)’s Majeed Brigade has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement, BLA claimed that they attacked the offices of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and military intelligence. This is the second big attack by the Majeed Brigade in two months.
The port, which is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province, is a key to the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Beijing has invested heavily in mineral-rich Balochistan, despite a decades-long insurgency.
Makran Commissioner Saeed Ahmed Umrani told Pakistan-based Dawn.com that multiple blasts were also reported in the attack. The official added that the forces are carrying out clearance operations against the perpetrators.
Zohaib Mohsin, who is Gwadar Senior Superintendent of Police Captain (retd), initially told the newspaper that eight armed assailants were shot dead.
However, the toll was revised. While updating on the latest status of the attack, Mohsin told the media outlet that the firing had “completely stopped”.
Saeed Ahmed Umrani, a government commissioner, said that the complex houses offices of different government departments, intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces.
In an earlier statement, the United Nations Department for Safety and Security said “several explosions followed by continuous firing” were reported during the attack on the complex.
So far, no casualties have been reported.
This is not the first time BLA attacked Pakistani and Chinese interests in the region and elsewhere. Chinese targets have previously come under attack by several militant groups in Pakistan.
In August, gunmen attacked a convoy of Chinese workers in Gwadar, an operation also claimed by the BLA.
