By Staff Reporter
QUETTA: At least 20 miners were killed and seven injured in an attack by armed men on a private coal mine in southwestern Balochistan’s Duki area on Friday, in the latest violence to hit the restive region.
“A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” Humayun Khan, Duki Station House Officer, said. “They fired rockets and grenades at the mines.”
Johar Khan Shadizai, a doctor at Duki District Hospital, confirmed receiving 20 bodies and six injured miners. “The death toll may rise as some of the injured are critical,” he added.
Unidentified assailants launched the deadly attack, gathering miners at one location before opening fire. Police said hand grenades and rockets were also used.
Police said the gunmen stormed the accommodations late Thursday night, rounded up the men and opened fire.
“The outlaws set mining machinery on fire,” said Haji Khairullah Nasir, district chairman and owner of the coal mines. “There are ten coalmines in the area.”
The victims include miners from Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Kuchlak, and three from Afghanistan.
Police and Frontier Corps personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
Nobody claimed immediate responsibility for the attack.
A fresh wave of violence has erupted in Balochistan, where young ethnic Baloch are leading protests against alleged enforced disappearances and human rights abuses by security forces, who reject the accusations.
Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan’s poorest province, despite an abundance of untapped natural resources, and lags behind the rest of the country in education, employment and economic development. The province is also home to major China-led projects such as a deep-water port and a gold and copper mine.
On Sunday, two Chinese nationals were among three people killed, and a dozen others injured near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport evening in a terrorist attack claimed by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group.
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