Web Desk: Security forces repelled an overnight attack on a customs checkpoint at Ziarat Cross in Balochistan, with authorities saying 10 terrorists were killed and several security personnel wounded.
The attack took place between the night of Aug. 31 and the early hours of Sept. 1, according to a security statement issued under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 3.
The statement described the attackers as terrorists from groups it referred to as Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK) and Fitna al-Hindustan (FAH), and said they were backed by India.
The claims about the attackers’ affiliation and casualties could not immediately be independently verified.
According to the statement, terrorists launched an assault on the Ziarat Cross Customs Check Post, where Frontier Corps and police personnel had also been deployed to protect customs officials and the facility.
Troops stationed at the post responded to the attack and fought back, the statement said.
Initial information indicated that 10 terrorists were killed during the fighting, while a customs official and six soldiers, including an officer, sustained injuries, according to authorities.
As the firefight continued, additional Frontier Corps quick-reaction forces reached the area to reinforce the personnel already deployed there.
Security forces subsequently launched a search and clearance operation and began pursuing the terrorists who fled the area, according to the statement.
Authorities said the operation remained underway on Tuesday as troops searched the surrounding area.
The exchange of fire also triggered a blaze inside a customs warehouse at the checkpoint, according to the security statement.
Firefighters and personnel at the site brought the fire under control. Authorities did not immediately provide details about the extent of damage to the warehouse or its contents.
The security statement said the customs post plays a role in monitoring vehicles and goods entering Pakistan through the Afghanistan border.
It said the checkpoint is used to intercept vehicles without proper customs documentation, as well as illicit drugs and smuggled goods moving through the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing.
The attack therefore raised concerns over the security of a facility involved in efforts to curb cross-border smuggling and illegal trade.
The security statement described the assault as evidence of what it called a “political-terror-criminal nexus,” alleging that terrorist activity, political interests and criminal networks were interconnected.
It did not provide further evidence to substantiate that characterisation.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of supporting terrorist activity inside the country, allegations New Delhi has consistently rejected.
Security forces have maintained a heightened presence around Ziarat Cross following the attack and are continuing search operations in the surrounding area.
Officials said the pursuit of the attackers would continue until the area had been fully cleared.
The incident adds to security concerns in Balochistan, where terrorist groups have carried out attacks against security personnel, government installations and infrastructure in recent years.
Authorities said the hunt for the remaining terrorists was continuing.
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