At least five oil tankers were on Monday set ablaze and four drivers were abducted by armed men in Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan province. The incident happened in Mastung district in northwest Balochistan province.
The tankers were carrying fuel from Karachi for the Saindak copper-gold project situated in Balochistan’s Chaghi district when armed men opened indiscriminate fire on five oil tankers in Kirdi Gap area of Mastung.
The tankers caught fire as the gunfire ignited the fuel payload, following which the militants picked up four drivers and fled to an undisclosed location in the mountainous region, Dawn reported.
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A search operation was launched in the area to ensure the safe recovery of kidnapped drivers, officials said. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, authorities suspect Baloch separatist militants could be behind the attack.
Oil tankers bound for war-torn Afghanistan have regularly been targeted with arson attacks blamed on insurgents attempting to disrupt two key supply lines that cross western Pakistan.