13 dead in hostage-taking attack on base in Pakistan
The army confirms that "well-equipped" fighters attacked a Frontier Corps compound in the Balochistan province, and that three families in a residential block were taken hostage.
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Security officers guard a blocked road leading to a counterterrorism center in Bannu, Pakistan, on December 20, 2022. (AP)
As confirmed by the Pakistani army on Sunday, over a dozen have been killed as a result of an overnight battle between Pakistan paramilitary troops and militants who broke into their base and took families hostage.
It added that "well-equipped" fighters attacked a Frontier Corps compound in the Balochistan province, and three families in a residential block were taken hostage.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that "the complex clearance operation involved a hostage rescue operation". So far, responsibility has not been claimed yet by any group, but security forces have been a frequent target by ethnic Baloch groups, while the Taliban is also active in the region.
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In their hostage attack, "the terrorists had not even spared children" the ISPR expressed, confirming that all six militants who raided the compound were killed. It also confirmed that seven "sons of the soil" (a term for state security forces) were killed, including one individual who was a civilian. One woman was among the six injuries.
A funeral service was held in Balochistan's provincial capital, Quetta, on Saturday for some of the victims. On that same day, the ethnic separatist Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for an alleged attack on security forces protecting an oil and gas survey team in Balochistan's Kalat region.
Pakistan has been witnessing a surge in violent attacks and bombings. Just last month, four police officers were killed during clashes with militants in the Balochistan province, hours after four people died in a bomb blast in the region's capital.
Counter-terrorism department official Aitzaz Goraya said that the militants were from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is separate from Afghanistan's Taliban but shares a similar ideology.
The TTP had agreed with the Pakistani government on a ceasefire in June 2022. However, both parties have made several claims that the truce was ignored, with numerous clashes taking place.
