Five security personnel, including two officers, and a customs official were killed during a coordinated attack on a Customs House in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, the military has said.


According to authorities, the attack took place overnight from August 31 to September 1 in Nokcha, Chagai District, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.


Security forces responded to the assault and killed 10 attackers following an intense exchange of fire.


Additional terrorists were also targeted as they attempted to flee.


“During the exchange of fire, six brave sons of the soil, including two officers and a government official from the Customs Department, made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and embraced shahadat,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the military noted.


ISPR described the attack as a “manifestation of the terror-crime nexus,” alleging that it was intended to prevent Customs officials from carrying out their duties and enable criminal activities in the area.


Meanwhile, security forces killed 11 more terrorists in a separate incident in Ziarat Cross, Pishin District, on August 31, according to ISPR.


The military said the attackers, whom it identified as members of Fitna al-Hindustan, had set up an illegal checkpoint on the N-40 Quetta–Taftan Highway in an attempt to extort money from commuters.


“A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the terrorists,” ISPR added.


The military said 21 terrorists in total were killed in the two incidents and identified them as members of what it calls Indian-sponsored proxies of Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij.


The Pakistani state uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna al-Hindustan refers to Balochistan-based groups that authorities accuse of having links to India.


Security forces were continuing sanitisation operations in the affected areas to locate any remaining militants and protect local residents and key highways, ISPR said.


“The relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of ‘Azm-i-Istehkam,’ as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue with full resolve. Security forces and law enforcement agencies remain committed to eliminating the menace of foreign-sponsored and foreign-supported terrorism from the country,” the ISPR concluded.


The latest clashes followed an attack Monday on a convoy linked to the Reko Diq copper and gold project in Chagai, in which security forces said 12 terrorists were killed. Two other militants were also reported killed that day during an intelligence-based operation in Washuk district.


By Bakhtiyar Abbasov