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5 soldiers and 6 smugglers killed in shootout
 QUETTA: Five soldiers and six smugglers were killed in a clash in Bramcha, Dalbandin, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Thursday. "A Frontier Corps (FC) team led by Colonel Shakil Imtiaz raided a house believed to be a smugglers' hideout. The smugglers opened fire on the raiding team and a shootout ensued, lasting several hours," a FC source said. He said that five soldiers and six smugglers were killed while several others from both sides were seriously injured in the crossfire. A journalist from Dalbandin told Daily Times that the injured FC soldiers were moved to Quetta by a helicopter for treatment. FC spokesman Omer Farooq said the number of casualties on both sides were likely to increase. Farooq did not rule out the involvement of terrorists in the clash, but said it would be premature to blame any particular group. UPDATE: Quetta, July 28: Pakistani troops and drug traffickers clashed near the Afghan border yesterday and five soldiers and six smugglers were killed, an official said. Another soldier died in a separate roadside bombing. Maj Mohammed Haroon said the gunbattle took place near Bramcha village in the southwestern Baluchistan province when the troops tried to intercept three sport utility vehicles that entered Pakistan from Afghanistan. The troops had information that the vehicles were carrying drugs and those driving them opened fire after they were ordered to stop for checking, Haroon said. In the ensuing gunbattle between the smugglers and troops, three soldiers were killed at the scene while two others died at a hospital, Haroon said. Two other soldiers were wounded. Haroon said that six traffickers were also killed and their bodies were taken by their accomplices, who drove back into southwestern Afghanistan. The area where the shooting occurred, about 290 kilometers southwest of Quetta, Baluchistan's capital, lies at a route that traffickers use to smuggle narcotics to Iran from Afghanistan. Posted by: Fred 2006-07-28 |
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