Exchange of fire: 5 Levies personnel killed, Spanish cyclist injured in Mastung

By Shezad Baloch

Published: January 22, 201

The second victim was one of the robbers killed by the guard’s firing. PHOTO: FILE

QUETTA: Five personnel of Balochistan Levies personnel were killed and a foreign cyclist sustained injuries after they were ambushed by a group of armed men in Mastung district, about 45km from Quetta, on Wednesday.

According to Assistant Commissioner Mastung Shafqat Shahwani, a Levies mobile was escorting the Spanish cyclist who was coming from Taftan, town in Chagai district which shares border with Iran, when it was attacked on the national highway in Mastung.

“Armed men opened indiscriminate firing and wanted to kidnap the foreigner,” a local official at Mastung Levies station said.

Five personnel of Levies received multiple bullet wounds on upper torso and died on the spot while the foreigner received a bullet wound. The attackers fled from the scene after retaliation by Levies personnel.

More Levies personnel and security forces reached the spot and started a manhunt in the area.

The Spanish cyclist reached Mastung on Tuesday evening but stopped from proceeding towards Quetta after the suicide attack on Shia pilgrims which left 23 people killed and more than 31 injured.

The cyclist was coming from Iran and wanted to go to Quetta.