5 FC soldiers martyred in attack near Iran border
Unconfirmed report claims three soldiers were wounded in Balangor attack
February 19, 2020 05:28 PM
Five soldiers from Pakistan's Frontier Corps (FC) have been killed in an overnight attack by militants near the Iran-Pakistan border, a report by Radio Farda has claimed.
There was no official confirmation or denial of the news available.
The report cited unnamed officials telling RFE/RL on Wednesday that the attackers used "heavy weapons" late on February 18 to target a security post in the Balangor area in Kech district, west of the city of Turbat.
The checkpoint was located about 30 kilometres from the Iranian border on a key highway that links southeastern Iran with Balochistan’s provincial capital of Quetta.
Three Pakistani soldiers wounded in the militant attack were rushed to a nearby hospital, the officials said.
Pakistani security forces launched a counter-operation early on Wednesday in an attempt to locate the assailants.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place in an area where insurgents have previously been targeting Pakistani security convoys and checkpoints.
The attack follows a suicide bombing on February 17 that killed eight people and injured over a dozen others in Quetta.
There also was no claim responsibility for the Quetta attack too.
The suicide bomber targeted a rally by the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat (ASWJ) party.