A Frontier Corps (FC) official was martyred and 13 people, including civilians, were injured when security forces successfully foiled a suicide attack in Zhob, Balochistan, early Wednesday morning, officials confirmed.
Speaking to Dawn.com, Zhob Assistant Commissioner Naveed Alam reported that the attack took place at the Joint Response Centre in the Sabakzai area at 3:40 a.m. The centre was targeted by terrorists from three sides, and a suicide bomber was killed by security forces as he attempted to breach the building.
At the time of the attack, 45 FC officials, 10 Levies personnel, and five soldiers were stationed at the centre. In the ensuing firefight, Havaldar Jam Sher was martyred, and 13 people were injured, two of whom were civilians. The remaining injured included personnel from the security forces.
Alam noted that a number of terrorists were also injured during the gunfight, but they were carried away by their comrades. Security forces have since visited the area to gather evidence and assess the damage.
The attack comes less than a month after a similar incident in the Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan region, where an officer of the Balochistan Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) was martyred and three others were injured in an armed assault.
Security Situation Across Pakistan
According to a monthly security report by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), a total of 45 terrorist incidents occurred across Pakistan in September 2024, showing a 24% decline compared to the previous month. These incidents resulted in 54 deaths (29 security personnel, 16 civilians, and 9 militants) and 117 injuries.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed the highest number of attacks, with 27 incidents, resulting in 35 fatalities and 70 injuries. Balochistan recorded 17 attacks, while Punjab reported one, and no incidents were recorded in Sindh during the month.
The report attributed responsibility for the majority of these attacks to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Gul Bahadur Group, and Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), with several local Taliban factions also involved.
The report also mentioned that five attacks were recorded along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan in September 2024, indicating a continued security challenge in the region.
