HANGU, Pakistan – In a tragic incident, four personnel from the Frontier Constabulary and two private guards lost their lives in an overnight attack on a Hungarian-owned oil and gas exploration site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district on Tuesday, as confirmed by local police.
According to Thal Deputy Superintendent of Police Irfan Khan, terrorists launched an indiscriminate firing assault late at night on the security personnel stationed at the MOL Pakistan Oil and Gas Company’s plant in the Mainji Khel area.
“The soldiers bravely engaged in a two-hour exchange of fire. Four Frontier Constabulary personnel and two private security company personnel have been martyred in this attack,” he stated.
Khan further revealed that the terrorists managed to escape under the cover of darkness, and the bodies of the fallen soldiers were transferred to Thal Combined Military Hospital.
Reuters quoted Khan, stating that the attack involved approximately 50 terrorists who targeted two wells, namely M-8 and M-10, using heavy weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades.
“While the security guards at M-8 successfully repelled the terrorists’ attack, casualties occurred at M-10,” Khan stated. He added that the militants also inflicted damage on a solar power plant at the gas facility before fleeing to the adjacent North Waziristan district, their point of origin.
District police chief Asif Bahadur, quoted by AFP, attributed the attack to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant outfit. However, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack thus far.
Bahadur pointed out that the attackers crossed over from the neighboring North Waziristan district, which shares a border with Afghanistan and has long been a hub of militancy.
Noor Wali Khan, a second district police official, confirmed the attack and the death toll to AFP.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Hungarian embassy in Islamabad stated that they are assessing the information and have no immediate plans for diplomatic action, as reported by AFP.
The MOL Group, which has been operating a subsidiary in Pakistan since 1999 and employs 400 individuals in the country, has not yet responded to requests for comment from Reuters and AFP.
The incident serves as a tragic reminder of the ongoing security challenges faced by oil and gas facilities and personnel operating in sensitive areas.