A roadside bomb blast near a bus carrying security forces in the Pakistani province of Balochistan has killed at least five officers and wounded dozens, police say. The attack comes less than a week after a deadly train hijacking incident in the southwestern province.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Sunday claimed responsibility for the attack in Noshki district of Balochistan. The separatist group was also behind the train hijacking in which dozens were killed.
The senior superintendent of police for Noshki district, Hashim Momand, said more than 30 paramilitary force members were wounded in Sunday’s attack.
Another police official, Zafar Zamanani, said the blast badly damaged another bus nearby. The dead and wounded were transported to a nearby hospital.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the loss of life. “Those who play with the peace of Balochistan will be brought to a tragic end,” Bugti said in an official press release.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack, which comes as Pakistan deals with a growing security crisis in its regions bordering Afghanistan.
media’s Kamal Hyder said local sources told media the attack was carried out on a convoy of at least eight buses carrying security personnel from Noshki to Taftan, near the border with Iran.
“First, there was an improvised explosive device, and then a volley of fire from the attackers. The local sources are saying that they fear the death toll may climb,” he said, reporting from the capital Islamabad.
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