Thursday, December 22, 2005
International
Balochistan in grip of spiralling violence
AGENCIES
QUETTA/ISLAMABAD, DECEMBER 21: Violence continued unabated in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan as extremists blew up a railway track and a coach and fired rockets at an Army camp even as the security forces stepped up their operations in the tribal province.
Security forces continued with their crackdown on extremists in various parts of Kohlu, where last week miscreants fired rockets to sabotage President Pervez Musharraf's visit to the area, and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition in Sui tehsil.
The latest fighting came after troops on Tuesday captured two other rebel bases and arrested four tribesmen suspected of the attacks.
Following the arrest, suspected Baloch nationalists on Tuesday fired eight rockets which landed near the Frontier Corps' bases in three separate locations - one in Kohlu and the two others in nearby areas, but caused no loss of life or property. Security personnel were combing the area to apprehend the assailants, media reports said.
In another incident, a passenger coach was badly damaged after it hit a landmine in the Dukki area, some 260 kilometres from the provincial capital Quetta. However, there was no report of any casualty.
As part of the crackdown against extremists, security forces raided a house in Bogra Colony and seized six rocket launchers, 70 rockets, 40 rocket fuses and hundreds of rounds of LMG, senior FC officials said.
© 2005: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.