File photo. Abdul Majeed—AFP
Militants targeted military personnel deployed at a checkpost in the Margat area of Bolan district
Three Frontier Corps soldiers were martyred on Saturday evening and a fourth was injured after militants opened fire on a checkpost in the Margat area of Bolan district, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the armed forces.
According to the statement, the incident occurred around 70km east of provincial capital Quetta. It said that the attackers had opened fire on the Khalid checkpost of the Frontier Corps, adding that the troops had immediately returned fire but the attackers managed to flee before they could be captured.
Following the attack, FC troops cordoned off the area and launched a search operation in the nearby mountainous areas but have not yet located the culprits.
The bodies of the deceased—identified as Lance Naik Hussain Shah, Sepoy Noman, Sepoy Faisal—and the injured soldier—Pervez—were all brought to hospital.
Separately, the ISPR said, terrorists targeted soldiers patrolling the Pakistan-Iran border in the Sherbandi area of Turbat, injuring four FC soldiers.
Saturday’s attack marks the third incident in less than a week in which FC troops have been targeted by extremists. On Wednesday, at least four FC soldiers were martyred and six others injured in an attack at Balochistan’s Zhob district.
According to the ISPR, the FC troops were providing security to a fencing operation along the Pak-Afghan border when they were targeted from across the border in Afghanistan.