Islamabad, July 16 (IANS) Three security personnel were killed and 29 others injured after militants launched a coordinated attack on a security forces’ convoy in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province on Thursday, security sources said.

The attack took place in Mastung district when a Frontier Corps convoy was travelling from provincial capital Quetta to Kalat district via the N-25 highway, the sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

“The convoy came under a coordinated attack by heavily armed militants at multiple locations, and a reinforcement party responding to the incident also came under attack when an improvised explosive device detonated nearby,” the sources added.

During the ensuing exchange of fire, three security personnel were killed and 29 others injured, including 20 with serious injuries and nine with minor wounds, the sources said.

All the injured personnel were evacuated to nearby medical facilities for treatment, the sources said.

The attack also caused significant damage to security vehicles, with one Frontier Corps bus destroyed by fire, while three vehicles sustained tyre damage, Xinhua news agency reported.

Following the attack, security forces fired mortar rounds toward the suspected escape routes of the assailants.

Authorities said the area has been secured, all casualties have been evacuated, and traffic on the N-25 highway has been fully restored.

No group has claimed the attack yet. However, the sources attributed the attack to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

An investigation into the incident is underway.

At least two policemen were killed and 26 people, including 22 police personnel, were injured after armed assailants carried out attacks in Bannu and Lower Dir districts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported on Thursday.

Six police personnel and four people were injured after armed assailants attacked the Miryab police station on Wednesday using an explosives-laden vehicle. Following the blast, a heavy exchange of fire between the attackers and police for several hours, as reported by leading Pakistani daily The Express Tribune.

–IANS

ksk/as