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Balochistan attacks, toll
Pakistan’s military said three militant attacks in Balochistan since July 6 killed 42 police and army personnel, with Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry telling a televised press conference that the death toll since Monday had reached 42.
“42 police and army personnel have been killed in three separate militant attacks”
In the same period, Chaudhry said Pakistani security forces also killed 54 suspected insurgents during multiple operations, as violence escalated across the province.
Al Jazeera reported that the military said rebel fighters killed 18 police officers and 11 soldiers in separate attacks in Balochistan, bringing the death toll since Monday to 42 people.
The attacks included an assault on a post guarding the large Mangi dam project in Ziarat district, where Chaudhry said 18 police personnel were held hostage and nine police officers died, and a later ambush on a Balochistan highway that killed 11 soldiers.
Al Jazeera also quoted Chaudhry saying, “We will chase you, we will hurt you,” as he claimed “many Afghans” were behind the attacks.
Statements and blame
In Ziarat, BBC Urdu quoted Deputy Commissioner Abdul Quddus Achakzai saying gunmen opened fire on police guarding the construction site of a multi-billion rupee dam in the Ziarat district, and that two senior officers were among those killed as a search operation continued.
BBC Urdu added that Balochistan officials said security forces killed 15 members of the Pakistani Taliban (TPP) in response as part of a “clearance operation” in Ziarat, while no group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Al Jazeera said Chaudhry blamed the attacks on militants and claimed “many Afghans” were behind them, and he also said, “We will take on each and every terrorist, their facilitators, those who harbour them, those who nourish them and those who provide them bases, wherever they are located,”.
AsiaNews reported that Pentecostal Pastor Suleman Imtiaz in Bannu said his congregation continues to pray for peace in Balochistan and for the protection of the security forces, noting residents now live “with fear and uncertainty”, unable to carry out even their daily activities with peace of mind.
The BBC also reported that protests against the attack on police were taking place along a national highway near the site of the incident, while Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and said the killed officers were “the pride of our nation”.
Aftermath and what’s at risk
The BBC said the Mangi Dam is being built to help overcome a water shortage facing Balochistan's capital city of Quetta, placing the project at the center of the security response after the attack on police guarding the construction site.
“help overcome a water shortage facing Balochistan's capital city of Quetta”
Firstpost said militants launched three major attacks across Balochistan since Monday, including an attack on the outskirts of Quetta where Chaudhry said gunmen targeted civilians, killing four people.
Al Jazeera described how the 18 slain police officers were abducted Monday when dozens of fighters descended upon a post guarding the Mangi dam project in Balochistan’s Ziarat district, and it said nine other officers were killed in the attack.
Dawn reported that Ziarat Deputy Commissioner Abdul Qudoos Achakzai confirmed the incident occurred in the Mangi Dam area and said the whereabouts of five policemen were still unknown, while an operation to recover the missing police officials was under way.
In a statement carried by Arab News, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and said, “No one will be allowed to undermine peace in Balochistan,” vowing that the fight against militants would continue until they were eliminated.