QUETTA, PAKISTAN: A roadside bomb killed six soldiers in a remote district in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Baluchistan, a government official said on Tuesday, the second attack within days in the troubled region.
The blast late on Monday in Harnai district was some 160 km (100 miles) east of the provincial capital, Quetta, where a suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into an army truck on Tuesday, killing eight soldiers and seven civilians.
No group has claimed Monday’s attack but Daesh said it carried out Saturday’s bombing. The separatist Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) group has also targeted military officials in recent months.
Army chief General Qamar Bajwa said the attack was an attempt to mar celebrations on Monday as Pakistan celebrated 70 years since independence from British colonial rule.
“Our resolve won’t succumb to any challenge,” Bajwa said in a statement the army media wing posted on Twitter.
Separatist militants in Baluchistan have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of resources in the gas-rich province, which is a key part of a $57 billion Chinese economic corridor through Pakistan.
The province, which shares border with Afghanistan and Iran, was rocked by a series of attacks late last year that raised concerns about a growing militant presence, including fighters affiliated with Daesh.
Roadside bomb blast kills six soldiers in southwest Pakistan
Roadside bomb blast kills six soldiers in southwest Pakistan
