QUETTA - A bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded in Khuzdar district on Saturday, killing at least three persons and wounding 27 others, including five Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, police said.
The attack came when a patrolling vehicle of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) was passing through a busy market in Khuzdar town.
Muhammad Anwar, a police official, said the militants targeted the vehicle of security forces through an improvised explosive device (IED) in Seerat Chowk area of Khuzdar. He said the vehicle of security forces was slightly damaged and most of the victims were civilians.
The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Khuzdar for medical treatment. The condition of the six injured was critical while there was no senior surgeon to attend them.
On receiving information, police and Frontier Corps personnel reached the spot to probe the incident. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Baloch separatists are active in the area and often attack government forces and installations. Resource-rich Balochistan is home to a long-running separatist conflict that was revived in 2004, with nationalists seeking to stop what they see as the exploitation of the region’s natural resources and alleged rights abuses.
Meanwhile, the Balochistan government has placed police and paramilitary troops on alert for the eve of Yaum-e-Ali in Quetta and other parts of the province.
GAS PIPELINE BLOWN UP: An 18-inch diameter gas pipeline burst into flames after an explosion, affecting smooth flow of gas supply to some parts of Sindh.
Police said that the explosion occurred late at night at Malgawar, rupturing an 18-inch diameter gas pipeline that burst into sky-high flames and affecting gas supply to parts of Sindh.
Following the blast, rescue teams were called, while police cordoned off the area and started a search operation.