Two Pakistan Army soldiers killed in extremist attack in Balochistan

At least two Pakistani Armed Forces troops were killed and four others were injured in an attack by extremists in Balochistan province, Xinhua agency reported.

According to the media, unknown militants ambushed a Pakistan Army sapper squad near the Akra-Kaur dam, 25 km northwest of the city of Gwadar. As a result of the clash, two soldiers were killed and four more were injured. There is no information about losses among extremists. So far, none of the terrorist groups operating in the country has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The situation in southwest Pakistan has been permanently tense since the end of 2021 due to the stepping up in activities of nationalist and separatist groups opposing government measures to strengthen the centralization of the country. Extremist attacks pose a threat to the security of the Gwadar seaport located in Baluchistan province which is considered one of the key facilities for the One Belt, One Road Chinese global initiative, as well as other infrastructure facilities being built in Pakistan with the help of the PRC.

According to the Pakistani Center for Research and Security Studies, there were 789 terrorist attacks in Pakistan in 2023. They led to the death of over 1.5 thousand people, and the number of victims was more than 1.4 thousand. This is the largest number of victims and injured in terrorist attacks in the country over the past six years. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces accounted for 84% of Pakistan's terrorist attacks in 2023 and for 90% of all deaths caused by those attacks.