Islamabad: A terrorist attack on a military base in the unrest-ridden Balochistan province resulted in the deaths of four Pakistani army soldiers and five serious injuries. The ensuing shootout resulted in the deaths of a woman caught in the crossfire as well as three other attackers. Attackers from Tehreek-e Jihad Pakistan took credit for the crime.
A group of around 20 gunmen wearing army uniforms attacked the base, according to Muhammad Azim Kakar, a senior officer in Zhob's administration. The soldiers on duty stopped the terrorists' initial effort to enter the building, according to a statement from the army's media branch, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Following a heavy exchange of fire, the terrorists were contained to a small area at the boundary, the ISPR said, adding that three “heavily armed terrorists” had been killed. “Security forces remain determined to thwart all such ghastly attempts at destroying peace in Balochistan and Pakistan.”
Kakar said the woman civilian killed was travelling by a bus that was caught in the gunfight, and three other passengers were wounded.
After the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan brokered a ceasefire with Islamabad in November last year, Pakistan has experienced an increase in terrorist operations, particularly in the northwest's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the southwest's Balochistan. Though sparsely populated, Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, is rich in natural resources including copper, gold, and gas and borders both Afghanistan and Iran.