New Delhi: Three soldiers of Pakistan army were killed and eight others, including an officer, injured in an ambush on their convoy near Gichak valley in Balochistan’s Panjgur district on July 16. The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement issued after the ambush, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that security forces were patrolling near Gichak valley in the Panjgur district of Balochistan when they came under attack.

“Three soldiers embraced shahadat [martyrdom] while eight soldiers received injuries, including an officer. Five injured are critical,” the ISPR said. The injured soldiers were shifted to Combined Military Hospital in Quetta where five remained in critical condition.

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari said that the attack was a “condemnable act of terrorism”.

Pakistan Senate Deputy Chairperson Saleem Mandviwala condemned the firing on security forces’ patrolling party in Balochistan, saying it was a plot to harm peace in Pakistan. “The entire nation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces,” Mandviwala said. “Our soldiers have made many sacrifices to help establish peace in the country.”

Contrary to Pakistani media claims, other news outlets report that the casualty figures are higher. In its report, Al Jazeera said that eight Pakistani army soldiers were killed in the ambush attack in Balochistan.

The BLF claimed responsibility for the attack and said that 20 soldiers have been eliminated. BLF spokesman Major Gwahram Baloch said that this morning Sarmachaars attacked a convoy of five vehicles of Pakistan army in Gichak area of Panjgur district.

At Mok-e-Kandag, Sarmachaars ambushed the occupying forces with rockets and automatic heavy weapons. The attack damaged all five vehicles and killed more than 20 personnel, including an officer on board. The BLF has vowed not to stop the attacks until Balochistan attains Independence.