QUETTA, Feb 13: Two boys and two policemen were killed and 24 people were injured when a bomb exploded in Dera Murad Jamali and some armed men opened fire on a police camp in Chattar area of Nasirabad district on Monday.

The bomb had been planted in a motorbike parked near a restaurant.

The target appeared to be a police van carrying Dera Murad SHO Inspector Ghulam Rasool and his four guards.

DPO Abdul Hayee Baloch told Dawn the bomb exploded when the van was passing through the animal market.

The boys were killed on the spot and 23 people, including the SHO and his four guards, were injured. Most of the injured were in the restaurant.

It was the second attempt on the police officer`s life.

DPO Hayee Baloch said three kgs of explosives had been used in the bomb and it was detonated with a remote control.

The deceased boys, said to be cousins, were identified as Bashir Ahmad and Liaquat Ali.

Two policemen were killed and another was injured when armed men opened fire on a camp of Balochistan Constabulary in Chattar area.

Sources said about 12 armed men came on motorcycles and opened fire on the camp in Kanari village.

He said the injured constable was brought to Dera Murad Jamali and later taken to Larkana. He said that the camp was set up for protecting power pylons.

The deceased were identified as Sub-Inspector Wahid Bakhsh Pindrani and Constable Babar Din.

Sarbaz Baloch, a spokesman for the banned Baloch Republican Army (BRA), claimed responsibility for both the attacks.