On Monday, March 6, nine security personnel were killed and at least thirteen others were wounded during a bomb blast in southwest Pakistan. According to reports, the incident took place in Balochistan province when the officers were returning to the provincial capital Quetta.
An alleged suicide bomber rammed a motorcycle into a police truck causing the blast. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Confirming the incident, Kachhi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahmood Notezai said that those killed in the blast belonged to the Balochistan Constabulary (BC), a department of the provincial police force that provides security at important events and in sensitive areas, including jails.
“The constabulary van was on its way back to Quetta from Sibi when an explosion occurred on the Kambri bridge in the area bordering the Sibi and Kachhi districts,” Dawn quoted the official as saying.
Following the blast, Quetta and Sibi are on high alert. The area, meanwhile, has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway, officials said.
Regular suicide bomb attacks in Pakistan
Notably, the incident came a day after a security official was killed and eight others were injured after a vehicle was targeted in a bomb attack in Gwadar, a port city in the province. Balochistan Liberation Front, a group working for Balchistan’s independence from Pakistan’s occupation, had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Prior to this, on February 26, 2023, four people were killed and fourteen others were wounded in a blast in Barkhan district in Balochistan province. “The improvised explosive device was planted in a motorbike which exploded at around 10 am in the morning,” assistant commissioner Khadim Bhangar Barkhan had said.
The incident occurred a day after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district while police officers were patrolling the region, leaving two policemen dead and another injured.
Similarly, on January 30, 2023, a blast took place inside the Peshawar Police Lines mosque resulting in the death of at least 28 people. Around 150 were reportedly injured in the blast.
OpIndia had reported that a suicide bomber was present in the front row during the prayers. He detonated the device and as a result, the roof of the mosque collapsed.
Shortly after the attack, the Islamist terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the bombing.
https://www.opindia.com/2023/03/pakistan-nine-killed-thirteen-injured-balochistan-suicide-attack/