CHILAS: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Saturday claimed responsibility for an attack on a Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B)Scouts check post in the Hudur area of Chilas in Diamer.
Two soldiers of the G-B Scouts were martyred and another was injured on Thursday night when terrorists attacked a security forces’ check post in the Hudur area.
Read more: Pakistan’s FM urges Kabul to take action against TTP, BLA
On Friday, G-B Home Minister Shams Lone confirmed the attack to HUM News English, saying that “a group of terrorists opened fire at the check post between 12:05 am and 12:20 am from a nearby mountain.”
“Yesterday, in the area of Chilas in Wilayat-e-Gilgit, the Mujahideen of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan attacked a checkpoint of the Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts,” the banned outfit said in a message broadcast on its WhatsApp channel.
It reported a higher death toll than the official figures. The message said that the attack was part of their ongoing offensive, named “Al-Khandaq Operation.”
District Police Officer Abdul Hameed authenticated the claim but did not give further details due to confidentiality. However, he confirmed that two soldiers were martyred and another was injured.
Gilgit-Baltistan Inspector General of Police (IGP) Afzal Mehmood Butt visited the attack site on Saturday, where he was briefed on the assault. On the occasion, the IGP directed security agencies to expedite efforts to identify and apprehend the terrorists involved.
He vowed that law and order would be maintained in Gilgit-Baltistan at all costs and assured that strict action would be taken against elements involved in terrorism.
Separately, G-B Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, accompanied by his cabinet members, visited the residence of the martyred Naib Subedar Khush Dad in Chaprote, Nagar, to offer condolences to the bereaved family.
The chief minister offered Surah Fateha for the departed soul and expressed heartfelt sympathies with the family. He said the nation is proud of the sacrifices made by its brave soldiers, and that the martyred subedar laid down his life in the line of duty while defending the motherland.
“Those responsible for this cowardly act are a stain on Diamer’s otherwise peaceful identity. The state will never forgive terrorists, and strict action will be taken against those trying to disrupt peace in the region,” Gulbar Khan said.
He said that the G-B government would take all necessary steps to support the martyr’s widow and daughter under existing government policies.
Speaking to the media after the visit, CM Khan reiterated his government’s resolve to maintain peace in the region. “The provincial government and law enforcement agencies will take decisive measures against terrorist elements,” he said, adding that the people of Diamer have rejected this cowardly attack and support peace efforts along the Karakoram Highway.
Read more: Bajaur peace talks fail as TTP seeks enforcement of Sharia in tribal districts
He also announced that the government would work on improving electricity supply in Chaprote and reaffirmed full official support for the family of the martyred soldier.