Pakistani security forces killed 12 terrorists after an ambush on a convoy returning from Reko Diq in Balochistan. The attack underlines persistent security risks around a flagship mining project despite enhanced protection.
Pakistani security forces killed 12 terrorists after they attacked a convoy returning from the Reko Diq copper and gold mining project in Balochistan, officials said on Tuesday. Two security personnel were injured in the gunfight that followed, according to officials.
The convoy, made up of around three dozen empty vehicles, was on its way back to Quetta on Monday after dropping workers at the project site in Chagai. Officials said the attackers ambushed the convoy and opened heavy fire, leading to a two-hour exchange in which security personnel travelling with the convoy retaliated.
A spokesperson for the Balochistan government said timely action by the security forces led to a heavy exchange of gunfire. “Timely action by security forces with the convoy led to a heavy exchange of gunfire in which 12 attackers were killed,” the spokesperson said.
A senior police official said the security personnel accompanying the convoy took positions and returned fire, triggering an exchange that lasted around two hours. He said two security personnel were injured and a quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the attackers who were killed.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti also confirmed the killing of 12 terrorists in a social media post. He said intelligence-based targeted operations against militants were continuing “successfully and consistently” across the province.
There was no immediate information on whether the convoy was carrying any minerals from the Reko Diq mines at the time of the attack. The project, in Chagai district near Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran, is one of the country’s biggest mining projects and is being developed as a major copper and gold mine. It is operated by Canada-based Barrick Mining in partnership with the Pakistani government and the Balochistan provincial government, and is seen as important to Pakistan’s efforts to attract foreign investment and raise mineral exports.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and most resource-rich province, has faced an insurgency for decades by militant groups including the Balochistan Liberation Army, which seeks independence for the province. Insurgents have alleged political marginalisation and exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources by the central government. In recent years, the BLA has stepped up attacks on security forces, government installations and projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The Reko Diq project has previously faced security concerns because of its location in the insurgency-hit province, although Pakistani authorities have said enhanced security arrangements are in place to protect the project and its workers.
The attack on the convoy is the latest in a series of incidents in Balochistan, where Pakistani forces continue operations against militant groups, even as security remains a concern around the strategically important Reko Diq project.
With PTI Inputs
