Seven soldiers killed in an attack claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, in Pakistan

MADRID 16 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least seven soldiers have been killed and 15 more have been injured in an attack by unidentified individuals against a security checkpoint in Shá Mardan, in the Kalat district, in the Pakistani region of Balochistan. The attack has been claimed by the separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The incident occurred on Friday night. After the attack, the wounded and bodies were transferred to the city of Quetta to receive the necessary care, as reported by the Pakistani Gendarmerie and reported by Pakistani television Samaa.

The deceased have been identified as Corporal Bajat Zamin, Corporal Ghulam Ishaq, Corporal Abdul Qadir, Private Rizwan, Private Waqas, Private Ali Abbas and Private Saqib Rehman.

The ELB has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement addressed to the press in which it announces that it will provide more details about what happened in a future message.

The president of the Istehkam e Pakistan Party and federal minister of Communication, Abdul Alim Jan, has condemned this attack, a “cowardly act of terrorism” and has highlighted the work of the security forces personnel in particular when they give their lives to protect the country.

“The security forces have once again sacrificed lives to protect the homeland. No effort will be spared to eliminate the threat of terrorism,” Jan stressed before expressing his confidence in “ultimate success.”

The Prime Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has also expressed her regret for the loss of military lives and has condemned this attack.

In recent months there has been an increase in ELB attacks against Pakistani security forces. Last week a suicide bomber killed 26 people and injured 60 others in an attack against soldiers at a train station in the city of Quetta. In a previous action, the group attacked a delegation of Chinese workers at the Karachi airport.

Violence is concentrated against Chinese projects in Pakistan that seek to connect the Chinese region of Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea to connect with markets in the Middle East, Europe or Africa. Baloch separatist groups accuse China of stealing land and plundering the region’s resources along hundreds of kilometers of coastline.