Deadly roadside bomb explosion hits Pakistani police convoy

Authorities in southwestern Pakistan said Wednesday a roadside bomb explosion had killed at least three people, including a senior officer, and wounded 24 others.

Initial police reports found the bomb was hidden in a motorbike, parked along a main road, and targeted a police convoy in central Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

A hospital spokesman, Waseem Baig, said several of the wounded victims were in “critical condition” and he feared the death toll could increase. At least 10 policemen were among the injured.

There were no immediate claims of responsibly for the deadly attack.

Outlawed ethnic Baluch militant groups and the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), routinely carry out attacks against security forces and civilians in Baluchistan.

Last month, two major Pakistan army bases came under attack in the sparsely populated province and the ensuing clashes had lasted three days, killing nine soldiers and 20 assailants.

The Baluch Liberation Army, or BLA, designated as a terrorist group by Pakistan and the United States, took responsibility for the simultaneous assaults.

That attack came just days after militants ambushed and killed 10 Pakistani soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks in years in Baluchistan. The BLA claimed credit for the violence.

The natural resources-rich province is at the center of a multi-billion-dollar mega development program funded by China under its Belt and Road Initiative.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC has built highways and a power plant in the country and the Chinese-operated deepwater Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea in Baluchistan.

Baluch militants accuse Pakistan and China of exploiting resources of the province to justify their insurgency, saying they are fighting for the independence of Baluchistan.

Source: VOA News