QUETTA: Seven personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), a paramilitary force, were killed and one wounded when armed militants attacked a checkpost of the security forces in the Mekhtar area of district Loralai on Monday. The FC officials said that some militants armed with automatic weapons attacked the FC checkpost. As a result, all the eight personnel of the force sustained multiple bullet injuries and seven of them breathed their last on the spot. Reports suggested that the assailants had attacked the FC Mekhtar checkpost in the early hours of Monday. In all, more than 40 armed men besieged the checkpost and then targeted the FC personnel. On being informed, the FC’s special teams were dispatched from Loralai that shifted the deceased and injured to hospital. Officials said the FC had launched a search operation in the area to apprehend the attackers who were still at large. Also, the FC personnel launched a counter attack, killing one attacker and injuring many others. IGFC Maj Gen Ijaz Shahid reached the area and supervised the search operation. Sources added that the search operation was underway and the FC was using helicopters to trace the attackers. Agencies add: The victims were identified as Naib Subedar Muhammad Afzal, Hawaldar Samiullah, Muhammad Ramzan, Atiqur Rehman, Taswar Hussain, Shahid Gul and Samiullah. President Mamnoon Hussain and former president Asif Ali Zardari have denounced the attack. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also strongly condemned the killing of FC personnel. The premier extended condolences to the families of the personnel and expressed the resolve of the government to eradicate terrorism and militancy from the country. Meanwhile, the former president said that such cowardly attacks could never weaken the resolve of our law-enforcing forces and the nation and they would continue pursuing their struggle against terrorism and extremism. He said these valiant sons of the nation fighting against terrorism were our heroes and the nation fully backed them. In a statement, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said such cowardly attacks could not demoralise our Jawans.Meanwhile, unknown armed men shot dead a man in the Pishin area of Balochistan.According to the police, the victim whose identity could not be ascertained was on his way when armed assailants opened fire on him. He died on the spot. The body was shifted to Quetta’s Civil Hospital’s morgue for identification. Further investigation was underway.
