Quetta (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed two insurgents in a shootout Sunday after a military convoy was attacked with small arms and hand grenades in the city of Gwadar in the restive southwestern Baluchistan province, the military said.
The military made no mention of claims by the Baluchistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, that the daylight attack targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers accompanied by military vehicles, and that it lasted for hours.
The military said there was no harm to civilians or security forces.
Baluchistan has been the scene of a low-level separatist insurgency for over two decades. Separatists initially demanded a share of the wealth in the province, which is rich in gas and minerals, and later called for separation from Islamabad.
Chinese companies operating in Gwadar and other parts of Baluchistan have been targeted in the past by Baluch insurgents.
Pakistani forces claim to have largely quelled the insurgency but attacks still take place.
Also Sunday, the military said security forces killed four militants in an overnight shootout following a raid near the Afghan border in the northern Bajur district. A soldier was also killed in the heavy exchange of fire.
The military said it seized weapons, ammunition and explosives, including a suicide vest.
Bajur was the scene two weeks ago of a suicide bombing at a political rally that killed 44 people and wounded 200. The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility.
