South Asia

Gunmen attack dam site in Pakistan, kidnap six

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Unidentified gunmen attacked a checkpoint and construction site for the Gandari Dam in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, abducting six people, according to local media reports.

The assailants reportedly blocked the Kharan-Noshki highway late Thursday night before launching an assault on a Levies checkpoint, overpowering security personnel and seizing their weapons and equipment, Dawn reported, citing security sources.

The attackers then moved to the dam’s construction site, where they set fire to a camp, stole a vehicle, and kidnapped six individuals, officials said. The abductees were identified as workers from Quetta and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Authorities have not issued an official statement on the incident, and no group has claimed responsibility. Balochistan has long grappled with separatist insurgencies and militant activity targeting infrastructure and security forces.

In a separate incident, two Pakistan Coast Guards personnel were wounded in a bomb attack in Jiwani, a small coastal town in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, on Friday, local media reported.