Mastung attack leaves teenager dead, 7 injured; security forces kill 2 terrorists

MASTUNG: Unidentified armed attackers stormed the Levies headquarters and three banks in Mastung on Tuesday, setting buildings and vehicles ablaze before engaging in a prolonged gun battle with security forces, officials said. Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind stated that a sixteen-year-old child was killed and seven people were injured in the firing of militants in Mastung city. He also added “Fitnatul Hindustan attacked the bank, Tehsil Office and offices in Mastung. Immediately after the attacks, Frontier Corps, Counter-Terrorism-Department and Levies surrounded the area and the terrorists retreated.”

The spokesman said security forces have surrounded the terrorists and there has been a heavy exchange of fire.

“Two terrorists were killed and three were injured in an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists. A full-scale operation is underway against the terrorists present in the area,” Rind said.

He said the prompt response of the security forces has been effective in preventing further casualties, adding that the forces have launched a systematic clearance operation at site of the attack.

“Intelligence-based operations are being carried out to protect civilians and arrest the terrorists. Security agencies have also begun searching for the attackers’ facilitators.”

Videos circulating on social media showed smoke engulfing several buildings in the city and heavy gunshots and explosions could also be heard.

Sources say the attackers set on fire National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and several vehicles while markets and civilian movement completely halted. The incident occurred days after officials in Balochistan recovered the body of a child in Mastung who was kidnapped for ransom in November.

Officials had held Daesh responsible for the abduction and killing of the 9-year old Muswar Khan Kakar.

Authorities shut all shops and blocked entry/exit routes as security forces cordoned off the area for search operations. Thus far no group immediately claimed responsibility.

ISPR says 13 security personnel martyred in North Waziristan blast

Earlier on June 28, security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Duki District, resulting in the killing of two militants and the arrest of two others, the military’s media wing said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the operation targeted militants belonging to the “Indian-backed proxy group Fitna al Hindustan.” However, the ISPR did not provide further details regarding the identities of the militants or the evidence of foreign involvement.

On April 16, Islamic State (IS) group claimed a bomb explosion targeting police in a recent blast in Mastung that killed three policemen and wounded more than a dozen. A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle on targeted a passing bus carrying 40 policemen. In a statement late Tuesday, the jihadist group’s regional branch, Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which often targets security forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan, claimed its “soldiers” targeted the “apostate” police.

Additional reporting by Tahir Khan