Pakistan: Militants Open Fire At China-Operated Gwadar Port; 8 Attackers Killed
QUETTA: Armed Baloch militants stormed Gwadar's Port Authority Complex in Pakistan's disputed Balochistan province and opened fire, as per reports. Prior to the firing, several explosions also rocked the area in what seems to be a well-planned assault.
Sarfraz Bugti, the Chief Minister of the restive Balochistan province, revealed that all eight militants who were involved in this attack on Pakistan's crucial Gwadar port authority complex on Wednesday were killed by security forces in retaliatory fire.
“Eight terrorists tried to attack the Gwadar Port Authority complex today. All of them have been neutralised by security forces. The message is loud & clear. Whosoever chooses to use violence will see no mercy from the state. Kudos to all law enforcement bravehearts who fought bravely today for Pakistan,” Bugti wrote on his X handle.
Makran Commissioner Saeed Ahmed Umrani told Dawn, a Pakistan-based news organisation, that police and security forces were heavily deployed at the site of the ambush.
According to Pakistani media, the Majeed Brigade, which is affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), had claimed responsibility for the attack.
This surprise attack comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif staunchly asserted that any form of cross-border terrorism will not be tolerated by his government.
Notably, the deep-water port, which is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea, is an integral part of the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which also encompasses roads and energy projects and is a key component of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Despite a decades-long separatist insurgency in the area, China has poured millions of dollars under its Belt and Road Initiative in mineral-rich Balochistan, including developing Gwadar.
Several terrorist groups have previously launched attacks on Chinese targets in Pakistan. In August last year, gunmen attacked a convoy of Chinese workers in Gwadar with the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army claiming responsibility for the attack.
The BLA, a separatist group, stands firmly opposed against Chinese investments in Balochistan and accuses both China and Pakistan of being complicit in exploiting the province's abundant resources.