At least four people were killed and nine others injured when armed militants attacked a village in southwestern Pakistan, a provincial government official said on Monday, warning that casualties may rise as some locals were missing after the altercation.
Attack Details
The attack took place on Sunday evening in Killi Babri, a mountainous village in the Hanna Urrak valley located at a distance of about 30 kilometers from the provincial capital of Quetta. Last week, villagers had protested against threats and the growing presence of militants in the area, blocking the area's roads leading to the valley. Authorities had assured them of undertaking security arrangements in the village.
Balochistan Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar, who is also an elected legislator from the valley, said a group of “terrorists” attacked the villagers on Sunday evening after the government had assured them of joint security measures. “At least four people were killed and nine were injured in the latest clashes between the terrorists and local villagers of Killi Babri,” Kakar told Arab News. “The villagers were already on alert following threats by the terrorists, but the number of casualties might rise as some villagers are still missing.”
Responsibility and Response
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but another official told Arab News that militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban carried out the attack. “These terrorists came down from the nearby mountains last week but were pushed back by the villagers,” the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press. “They came again on Sunday evening and targeted the villagers.”
Kakar said security forces personnel comprising the paramilitary Frontier Corps, Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) and police reached the area after the clashes were reported. He said a security clearance operation is being carried out, but the militants had escaped in the dark.
Government Measures
Following the clashes, the Balochistan government announced it was establishing a joint security check post at Killi Babri. “In order to strengthen security, ensure a prompt response to any imminent threat and enhance coordinated security arrangements in the area, the government has decided to establish a joint check point,” the Balochistan Home Department said in a statement.
Meanwhile, residents of Hanna Urrak valley blocked a key highway in Quetta leading to the valley over the clashes, demanding action against militants threatening the villagers.
Background
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by land mass yet its most backward by almost all economic and social indicators. It has been the site of a low-lying insurgency for decades, with the TTP and ethnic Baloch militant outfits frequently attacking law enforcers and citizens. The TTP has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani law enforcers since 2007 in a bid to impose their strict version of Islamic law across the country.
