KHUZDAR (Lord Media): A suicide and armed attack on the residence of Pakistan Peoples Party leader and tribal figure Mir Shafiqur Rehman Mengal in Khuzdar resulted in the deaths of 14 individuals, including 5 police officers, while 5 attackers were killed in retaliation. Mir Shafiqur Rehman Mengal remained unharmed, though several others sustained injuries.
The attack was executed in a highly organized manner, with an initial suicide bomber detonating at the main gate of the residence. Following this, other attackers entered the house and began indiscriminate firing.
A gunfight between security personnel and the attackers ensued for nearly three hours, after which security forces successfully neutralized all five attackers. Post-incident, security forces cordoned off the area and initiated a search operation.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack, stating that elements opposed to peace aim to destabilize Balochistan and disrupt public unity, but terrorists will never succeed.
Mir Shafiqur Rehman Mengal has been targeted in the past as well. On December 30, 2011, a car bomb exploded outside his residence, killing 13 people. The banned Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for that attack.
