Balochistan unrest: Eight killed in Washuk gun battle

QUETTA: Eight people were killed and two others injured in a fierce gun battle between two armed groups in Washuk on Thursday. “Two armed groups opened fire at each other in the Bessema area of Washuk,” Washuk Deputy Commissioner Qadir Baksh Purkani told The Express Tribune. He confirmed eight deaths and two injuries. According to Purkani, seven of those killed in the clash belonged to the Baloch Liberation Front while one belonged to the Baloch Musala Difa Army – a pro-government outfit. The gun battle started around 11am and continued for six hours, he said. Following the armed clash, security forces cordoned off the area. The dead and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Boy killed in Sibi blast A boy was killed in a blast near the Mir Chakar-e-Azam Stadium in Sibi district on Thursday. The blast took place at a time while the preparation of the Sibi Mela, which kicks off on February 24, was under way. Talking to The Express Tribune, Sibi Deputy Commissioner Sohailur Rehman Baloch refuted reports of the blast being a suicide bombing and said it was carried out using an improvised explosive device (IED). According to the deputy commissioner, the victim who was probably around 18 years of age, was trying to gain entry into the stadium when the blast occurred. Rail track, power pylon blown up A railway track in Dera Murad Jamali and a power pylon in Sohbatpur were blown up in separate incidents on Thursday. According to a Balochistan Levies official, unidentified militants planted an IED near the railway track in the Mangoli area of Dera Murad Jamali. The subsequent explosion damaged a three-foot portion of the track, he said, disrupting railway services in the area. Services were restored after a five-hour break. On the other hand, a 220kV pylon supplying electricity to districts in Punjab was blown up by unidentified miscreants, Sohbatpur District Police Officer Jan Muhammad Khosa said. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts in Balochistan till the filing of this report. Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2014.