The assault was one of the deadliest on Pakistani security forces in recent years and comes at a time of heightened unrest.
The assault on a military post in a remote southwestern district lasted for several hours. Dozens of attackers, belonging to a Baluch separatist group, heavily armed with rocket launchers and sophisticated weapons, outnumbered the Pakistani soldiers. A heavy gunfight killed 10 Pakistani soldiers and one attacker, and the rest managed to escape, officials said. The ambush, on Tuesday evening, was one of the deadliest on Pakistani soldiers in recent years and comes at a time of heightened unrest. The country’s security forces were already in a state of alert after a string of terrorist attacks this month — and officials said they are bracing for more attacks in the coming months as militant groups extend their reach and scale of attacks. The Pakistani military officially confirmed the Baluchistan attack Thursday evening, a day after it tried to downplay the incident and restricted the local news media from reporting on it. Military officials stressed that they were still trying to get details of the attack, which happened in Kech, a remote mountainous district of southwestern Baluchistan, a natural gas and mineral-rich province where an insurgency has simmered for decades. In a statement, the military said that three people had been arrested in a clearing operation, and it was still looking for other attackers. “Armed forces are determined to eliminate terrorists from our soil no matter what the cost,” the military said. On Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack. “We are resolute in our commitment to rid Pakistan of all forms of terrorism,” Mr. Khan said on Twitter.
