Quetta, March 16 (IANS) At least five Pakistani soldiers were killed and more than ten injured after a deadly explosion rocked the Pakistani Army convoy in Balochistan’s Noshki, reports said.
The blast is suspected to be a suicide blast and the number of casualties is likely to go up.
Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the separatist group in Pakistan’s Balocishtan province has claimed responsibility for the deadly ambush and also claimed that at least five Pakistani soldiers have been killed.
The blast occurred at the Noshki – Dalbandin highway. The injured were taken to the Noshki Hospital.
“A convoy of security forces consisting of seven buses and two cars were attacked. There are 5 fatalities and more than 10 injuries. One of the busses has been hit by a Vehicle Bourne IED (Improvised Explosive Device), possibly a suicide attack, the other was targeted by a Rocket propelled grenade while moving from Quetta to Taftan”, said an official on the basis on anonymity.
BLA spokesperson Jiyand Baloch confirmed that a suicide attacker targeted a bus following by firing on another bus.
While the BLA claims high number of casualties in the latest attack; independent sources confirm of at least 7 casualties and at least 21 injuries till now.
Security forces have cordoned off the area and an investigation into the blast has been initiated.
The suicide attack on Pakistani Army convoy comes days after the BLA hijacked a train carrying more than 400 passengers, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar. After a two-day standoff between the militants and the security forces, the attackers were neutralized and the clearance mission was concluded.
Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) provinces are witnessing a major surge in targeted attacks on security forces. There have been over 40 firing raids, grenade attacks, suicide bomb attacks and IED explosions in the last 24 hours in both KP and Balochistan.
–IANS
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