Pakistan’s Gwadar port attacked, eight armed fighters killed

Security forces fought for two hours before the attackers were killed, at a facility that is a showpiece project and is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan’s security forces foiled a major attack in Gwadar, a port city in the southwestern province of Balochistan, when eight armed fighters were killed on Wednesday when they tried to enter the Gwadar Port Authority complex.

The facility is a centrepiece of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan’s most ambitious infrastructure and investment project in recent years.

Saeed Ahmed Umrani, a senior government official, confirmed that the port complex was attacked, and said the security forces were engaged in nearly two hours of fighting with the attackers before they were killed.

“At least two men from security forces were injured in the fighting. The operation has been completed but clearance of the area is still ongoing,” he told Al Jazeera.

Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti said in a message on X: “Whosoever chooses to use violence will see no mercy from the state. Kudos to all law enforcement bravehearts who fought bravely today for Pakistan.”

Eight terrorists tried to attack the Gwadar Port Authority complex today. All of them have been neutralised by security forces. The message is loud & clear. Whosoever chooses to use violence will see no mercy from the state. Kudos to all law enforcement bravehearts who fought…

— Sarfraz Bugti (@PakSarfrazbugti) March 20, 2024

The attack was claimed by Majeed Brigade, the armed wing of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group that demands secession of the province from Pakistan.

In a statement, the BLA said that the offices of