Taliban bombing on police van kills five in Pishin

Published September 23, 2013
Balochistan is one of the country’s most unstable provinces and attacks on police and troops are common.—File photo
Balochistan is one of the country’s most unstable provinces and attacks on police and troops are common.—File photo

QUETTA: A bomb targeting police killed at least five people and wounded five others in Pishin district of restive southwest Balochistan province on Monday, police said.

The attack was staged in Pishin district, 40 kilometres north of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province which is racked by a separatist insurgency and sectarian violence.

“The bomb was planted underneath the police van, which exploded while the officials were performing routine checks, killing five people including three policemen and two civilians,” district police chief Mehboob Rasheed told AFP.

He said the blast also wounded five people including passengers of a minibus.

A senior local administration official Zahid bin Maqsood confirmed the incident and the casualties.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the the attack.

“We attacked the police in Balochistan today to avenge killing of our men by the army in a recent staged encounter,” in the country's northwest, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told news agency AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is believed to have substantial oil and gas reserves. But it is one of the country’s most unstable areas and attacks on police and troops are common.

The province has been the focal point of rising violence against the ethnic Shia Hazara minority. It also suffers from a decade-long insurgency by Baloch nationalists who want greater autonomy and a larger share of oil and gas revenues.

Opinion

Editorial

Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...
Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...