Four security officials martyred in Quetta attack

QUETTA: Four security personnel were martyred when they were attacked near the city's Sariab Road area early Wednesday.

Police officials said unidentified attackers, riding a motorcycle, targetted a motorcycle patrol of the Frontier Corps (FC) while it was on routine duty along a railway track near Sariab Road and fled after the attack. 

Following the incident, security and rescue personnel reached the site, cordoned off the area and began a search operation.

The bodies of the deceased, whose institutional identity is yet to be ascertained, were shifted to Civil Hospital.

The deceased officials have been identified as Aslam, Saeed, Shabbir and Amjad.

Police said they have recovered shells fired from a 9mm weapon and other evidence. An investigation is underway.  

Quetta Senior Superintendent of Police Naseebullah Khan told Reuters that the “four men were shot in the head".

Frequent attacks  

Balochistan in general and its provincial capital Quetta in particular witness frequent attacks by various militant and terrorist groups. 

On January 28, a policeman was killed in Quetta's Hazarganji area in a targetted attack while on January 18, two Balochistan Constabulary officials were killed in Quetta.

Similarly, a police constable was shot dead by unidentified attackers on the city's Raisani Road on January 16.

A day earlier, on Jan 15, five Pakistan Army soldiers were killed in Kech, Balochistan when their vehicle turned turtle after it was fired at.

On Jan 9, four Balochistan Constabulary personnel were among six killed in a suicide attack near the Balochistan Assembly.

Meanwhile, on Jan 2, at least five people, including two FC personnel, were injured as a result of a gun and bomb attack on a check post in the Baleli area of the provincial capital, said security sources.