Daily Times

QUETTA: Two Balochistan Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred and one injured when they were shot at by unidentified attackers Thursday morning.

SSP Operations informed that the officials, part of the Rapid Response Force, were deployed at a flyover on Quetta’s Double Road for security duty.

While they were changing their uniforms, the attackers, riding a motorcycle, opened fire on them, injuring all three, and sped away. The injured were taken to Civil Hospital where two officials passed away due to the serious nature of injuries while one is still under treatment.

Following the incident, security forces reached the crime scene and sealed it to collect evidence. The SSP said this is the second incident targeting police in three days in Quetta.

It may be noted that a police constable was shot dead by unidentified attackers on the city’s Raisani Road on January 16. A day earlier, on Jan 15, five Pakistan Army soldiers were killed in Kech, Balochistan when their vehicle turned turtle after it was fired at. On Jan 9, four Balochistan Constabulary personnel were among six killed in a suicide attack near the Balochistan Assembly. On Jan 2, at least five people, including two FC personnel, were injured as a result of a gun and bomb attack on a check post in the Baleli area of the provincial capital, said security sources.

Meanwhile, Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan arrested eight terrorists in addition to recovery of arms, ammunition and explosives during separate actions in various districts of the province on Thursday. Security sources said that the FC Balochistan conducted intelligence based operations in Gulistan, Pishin, Kanack, Dera Bugti, Uch, Sambaza Dera Murad Jamali and Sibi areas.

During the operations, eight terrorists including an illegal Afghan national was apprehended. Weapons and ammunition including IEDs, Rockets, fuses, grenades, mortars and explosives recovered from possession of the detained terrorists.

Earlier during the day, unidentified armed men attacked a polio vaccination team in the Shalkot area of the city killing two female head workers while two Balochistan police personnel were also martyred and one injured, when they were shot by unknown attackers in the morning. The security forces recovered three rocket launchers hidden underground here on Thursday. Levies sources said that during digging land in Zulam Kot area of Malakand Agency, three rocket launchers were recovered.

Published in Daily Times, January 19^th 2018.