QUETTA: At least eight suspected militants and one member of a tribal peace force were killed in Pakistan’s Balochistan province after dozens of armed militants attacked the residence of District Council Chairman Ghulam Nabi Shambani, a local administration official and tribal leader in Dera Bugti district, an official said Sunday.
The clash erupted at midnight on Saturday in Loti, a mountainous town about 25 km from Dera Bugti city. According to a government official who requested anonymity, the attack targeted Shambani’s home, where he was not present. His brother, however, joined the defense alongside supporters and peace‑force members.
“One local peace‑force member and eight terrorists were killed in the hours‑long armed exchange,” the official said. “Three peace‑force personnel were injured and airlifted to Ziauddin Hospital, Sukkur; one remains in critical condition.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault, which is likely linked to ethnic Baloch separatists who have previously targeted “pro‑state” political and tribal figures.
Security forces, accompanied by the local peace force, have cordoned off the area as some militants are still believed to be hiding in the surrounding mountains and attempting to escape, the official added.
Baber Yousafzai, an aide at the provincial home department, told Arab News that the joint operation successfully thwarted the attack. “Six terrorists were captured alive by the peace force,” he said.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has been embroiled in a long‑running separatist insurgency. The region has seen kidnappings and attacks targeting foreign nationals, infrastructure projects, security forces, police, state‑backed tribal leaders, and non‑native Pakistanis.
In a separate incident on Saturday night, another tribal leader, Ghulam Nabi Siyahpad, was shot dead in Khuzdar district. Authorities reported no claim of responsibility for that killing.
Earlier this month, at least five people, including a police constable, were killed when militants attacked the residence of a state‑backed tribal leader in a remote mountainous area of Khuzdar district.
In July, a prominent tribal leader, Mir Shafique Ur Rehman Mengal, narrowly escaped an assault after armed men, including suicide bombers, stormed his Khuzdar home. The attack, claimed by the BLA, resulted in at least 17 deaths.