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Dalbandin Airport Attack Plot Foiled, Two KilledPakistan
Two terrorists linked to a banned network were killed during reconnaissance near Dhadar Nala, after security forces acted on intelligence that Dalbandin Airport, a pilgrims’ rest area and a trucks’ staging area were being targeted.
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Security forces have foiled a major plan to attack Dalbandin Airport in Chagai district of Balochistan, killing two terrorists during an intelligence-based operation on the night of November 14, according to security sources.
Azaad Urdu reported that the operation was launched after security agencies received credible information that elements linked to the banned militant network Fitna al-Hindustan were planning to target sensitive installations in Dalbandin. Their targets included Dalbandin Airport, a rest area used by pilgrims travelling to and from Iran, and a staging area for goods trucks in the area.
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According to details received from security sources, a special team of the Frontier Corps (Dalbandin Rifles) began the operation at about 11:30pm on November 14 in the Dhadar Nala area, after days of reports about the network’s movements. At about 11:35pm, the team came across two suspected armed men near Dhadar Landi on the Quetta-Taftan highway (N-40), who were apparently carrying out reconnaissance of the area for a possible attack.
On seeing the security personnel, the armed men opened indiscriminate fire and tried to flee in two different directions into the nearby seasonal stream, Dhadar Nala, taking advantage of the darkness. Security forces returned fire immediately and gave chase, while two anti-terrorism reserve teams reached the spot and cordoned off all entry and exit points of the stream so the men could not escape.
After an intense exchange of fire, both terrorists were killed, the sources said. During a search operation, a motorcycle, two submachine guns, seven magazines, 210 rounds of ammunition, a blanket and motorcycle repair equipment were recovered from their possession, indicating that they had travelled a long distance and arrived in the area fully prepared for an operation.
Contrary to rumours circulating on social media and in unverified circles that Dalbandin Airport itself had come under attack, the operational evidence shows that no attack on the airport took place. The sources said the attackers were encircled and killed at the planning and reconnaissance stage, before they could strike.
Security experts quoted in the report said the location of the N-40 highway and Dhadar Nala is strategically highly important, because the same route leads to the airport and to the pilgrims’ routes. Had the men not been stopped during reconnaissance on the basis of timely intelligence, they could have posed a serious threat to the airport or to the civilian population, the experts said.
Security forces have stepped up intelligence-led operations across Balochistan’s border districts in recent weeks, with the Quetta-Taftan corridor under particular focus because it carries pilgrims, passengers and commercial traffic to the Iranian border. Officials say timely action on credible intelligence has repeatedly disrupted planned attacks in the region before they could be carried out.
According to the sources, the professional handling of the operation dismantled the network before it could strike, saving the area from a major loss. The operation is the latest in a series of pre-emptive actions by security forces against militant networks operating along the border belt.
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