Islamabad, Mar 26 (EFE).- The Pakistani military said on Tuesday that it repelled a major insurgent attack on one of its largest naval air bases, resulting in the deaths of four militants in the troubled southwestern province of Balochistan.
An army statement said a group of militants on Monday night tried to infiltrate the naval station in the resource-rich province, which has been grappling with a deadly separatist insurgency for decades.
“Terrorists attempted to attack Pakistan Naval Base, PNS Siddique, in Turbat, which was thwarted,” the military statement said.
All four militants were killed, the statement said, adding that a soldier also lost his life in the gun battle.
Police officer Muhammed Nameem said the militants attacked the heavily guarded area encompassing the airport and the naval air base from three directions, leading to a protracted firefight between security forces and insurgents that lasted until 5 am.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an outlawed insurgent group, claimed responsibility for the attack in the Turbat region of the Kech district, asserting that members of its suicide squad, known as the Majeed Brigade, stormed the naval airbase at 10 pm on Monday.
The group said the attackers inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistani forces, claiming the lives of over a dozen soldiers.
Located near the border with Iran, Kech district’s headquarters, Turbat, hosts one of the largest air bases of the Pakistan Navy.
The attack came days after a foiled attempt by a group of militants to breach Port Authority Colony in the coastal city of Gwadar in Balochistan.
During the exchange of fire, all militants and two soldiers were killed, the military said.
The Baloch militant group claimed responsibility for the Gwadar attack.
Balochistan has been a hotspot for insurgency, with rebels advocating for a separate Baloch homeland and alleging unfair resource exploitation in the impoverished mineral-rich region. EFE
aa-ssk
