QUETTA: At least five police personnel, including two officers, were gunned down by suspected militants in Makhtar area of Loralai district, some 350km northeast of here, on Thursday night.

Sources said Rara-Sharam’s Station House Officer Tahir Shah was going to Punjab in a passenger coach when armed men killed him after ordering him out of the vehicle.

Personnel of Frontier Corps, along with a heavy contingent of police, launched an operation to arrest the assailants.

In another incident, suspected militants ambushed a police vehicle in Chichloo area on Loralai-Dera Ghazi Khan road and killed Sub-Inspector of Rakhani Police Station, Mohammad Rafiq, and constables Habibullah and Sarfaraz and another unidentified policeman.

The deceased policemen were going back to Barkhan after attending a court hearing in Loralai.

Assailants torch vehicle after killing four personnel

Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said four security personnel died in the attack, while another policeman was injured.

Sources said the attackers torched the police vehicle before fleeing.

Official sources said the suspected militants also blew up a checkpost with rockets in the same area, but no personnel of any law-enforcement agency were present in the post.

A heavy contingent of Frontier Corps and other law-enforcement agencies launched an operation to search elements involved in the attack.

Helicopters are also taking part in the operation.

Armed men had attacked the same checkpost and a truck carrying Frontier Corps troops a few months ago, killing six FC personnel.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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