QUETTA / GWADAR: Militants killed five private security guards deployed on the construction site of a dam in Panjgur district of Makran division on Tuesday, officials said.

A Balochistan government spokesman said the attack took place in the early hours of Tuesday.

Late on Tuesday night, the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The victims were hired by the contractor for security duty at the dam site in the Promom area of Panjgur, officials added.

A senior police official told Dawn that the assailants, armed with automatic weapons, arrived at the site on motorcycles.

`Over a dozen armed men attacked the dam site where the victims were looking after the equipment and machinery,` the police officer said, adding the victims briefly returned fire but they were outnumbered.

The Balochistan government spokesperson, Shahid Rind, said all five victims were locals.

He said security forces moved the bodies and two injured to the Panjgur district hospital. The injured are said to be in a stable condition.

There are reports thatattackers also took away the weapons of security guards posted at the attack site. However, officials have not confirmed the reports.

The five victims have been identified as Zahir Ali, Aminullah, Nawaz Ali, Hussain Ali Shah and Abdul Ghafoor while the injured included Amjad Ali and Muhammad Safa.

Security officials said an investigation had been launched, and a search operation in the area was underway to find the attackers.

Condolences The president, prime minister and Balochistan government officials have condemned the attack and vowed to hold the militants accountable.

Balochistan Governor Balochistan Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail and Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti have termed the incident `condemnable and unforgivable`.

They said terrorists were following the agenda of inimical elements who were against development and peace.

`The enemy is irked by the peace and development of Balochistan,` the governor said, adding that terrorists will `never succeed in their nefarious purposes` and that they were cowards who targeted innocent people.

`Terrorists will not be spared, unjust bloodshed must be accounted for, CM Bugti said in a statement.

He expressed his condolences to the victim`s families and expressed good wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured.