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Published 20 Nov, 2008 12:00am

Multiple attacks by militants hit Balochistan

QUETTA Unknown armed men attacked the Police Training College in Sariab area with rockets and bullets, while one person was injured when a bomb was exploded near Quetta railway station, on Wednesday.
A bridge was also damaged in a powerful blast in Khuzdar and the house of a security official was attacked with a hand grenade in the industrial town of Hub.
Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed the responsibility of the railway station bomb blast and grenade attack in Hub.
According to sources, unknown people fired at least five rockets at the Police Training College in Sariab area from nearby mountains late on Wednesday night. 'One rocket landed in the play ground of the college and exploded with big bang rocking the entire area,' police sources said. However, other rockets exploded in the abandoned place causing no damage.
Sources said that after firing rockets the armed men also attacked the main gate of the college. They opened fire using automatic weapons. Police personnel deployed at the gate retaliated and returned fire. Heavy exchange of fire continued for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, one person was injured in a powerful bomb explosion that rocked the provincial capital Quetta. According to police sources unknown people planted bomb with the boundary wall of the park located in front of Quetta railway station that went off with big bang.
Grill and boundary wall of the park was damaged in the blast while windowpanes of railways building and many vehicles parked in the area were smashed.
One person who was identified as Mohammad Ishaq received injuries in the blast who was rushed to civil hospital. 'It was a local made bomb,' railways police said, adding that after the blast security of the railways station and other installations was increased.
Sources said that a road bridge at Quetta Karachi highway was partially damaged in an explosion that occurred under the bridge in Khuzdar. Police sources confirming the blast in Khuzdar said that no human loss was reported.
In another incident unknown people hurled a hand grenade in the house of a security official in the industrial town of Hub late evening. Sources said that grenade exploded in the courtyard of the house damaging the doors and windows of the house. However, no casualty was took place in the attack.
A spokesman of defunct Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) Beebargh Baloch while calling from unknown place claimed that BLA was behind the Quetta and Hub blasts.
Meanwhile, heavy contingent of law enforcement agencies including police and Frontier Corps have been deployed in and around Quetta to avert any untoward incident on the eve of shutter down and wheel jam strike on Thursday. The call was hurled by BRP, Marri Etihad and other baloch nationalist parties on the eve of first death anniversary of Nawabzada Balaach Marri.

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