Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is rife with sectarian violence between majority Sunnis and minority Shias and a regional insurgency waged by separatists. — File photo

QUETTA A car bomb blast Sunday killed a soldier and wounded 10 others in the southwestern city of Quetta, police and security officials said.

The car bomb exploded as four military vehicles passed by on a main road in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, wounding seven soldiers and four civilians, police official Shahnawaz told AFP.

One of the wounded soldiers died at hospital, a security official said, adding that the injuries to the others were not serious.

Nawaz said that up to six kilograms of explosives were used in the car bomb and added that no one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Similar attacks have been claimed by Baloch militants.

Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is rife with sectarian violence between majority Sunnis and minority Shias and a regional insurgency waged by separatists.

Baloch militants rose up in 2004 demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the regions wealth of natural resources, including oil and gas. Hundreds of people have died since then.