2 GB Scouts martyred in Diamer terrorist attack

GILGIT: At least two personnel of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Scouts were martyred and another injured when terrorists opened fire on a security checkpoint along the Karakoram Highway in Diamer district early Friday morning, police said. The checkpost, near Chilas, had been established in December 2023 after gunmen killed 10 passengers and wounded 20 others in an attack on an Islamabad-bound bus.

According to Diamer SSP Abdul Hameed, unidentified gunmen targeted the GB Scouts post from a nearby mountain peak around 12:15am. “Three soldiers were hit during the attack. Sadly, two of them could not survive their injuries,” he told reporters. The martyred were identified as Naib Subedar Khushdad and Havaldar Ashraf, while Lance Naik Sajid Ali sustained a bullet wound in the abdomen and is being treated at the Regional Headquarters Hospital in Chilas. Doctors said his condition was out of danger.

GB government spokesman Faizullah Faraq said Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan had taken “serious notice” of the incident. Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also strongly condemned the firing incident.