A suicide bomb attack killed nine policemen and wounded at least 15 in Pakistan’s Bolan on Monday. Bolan is situated in the restive Balochistan region in southwestern Pakistan.
Kachhi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahmood Notezai speaking to Dawn said the blast occurred on the Kambri bridge, an area adjoining Sibi and Kachhi borders.
An #explosion targeted the vehicle of security forces in #Balochistan’s Bolan area, leading to fears of several casualties into in the incident.9 personnel have died and 15 are wounded. pic.twitter.com/J4SGxUeWG5
— Rahul Upadhyay (@rahulrajnews) March 6, 2023
The truck was returning after Sibi. He said that they are suspecting it was a suicide bomb attack but police officers are probing the exact nature of the attack.
Bomb disposal squads and security personnel have reached the site of the attack and a search operation is underway, Notezai said, adding that the area has been cordoned off.
The policemen who died in the attack are members of the Balochistan Constabulary (BC), which is a department of the provincial police force responsible for providing security at important events and in sensitive areas, including jails, the Dawn said in its report.
The report by the Pakistan-based news outlet said that there is a nexus between the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who have intensified their attacks on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the areas bordering Afghanistan. Following the rise of the TTP, Baloch insurgents too have started attacking the Pakistan army, who are also accused of targeting ethnic groups living there.
Balochistan chief minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo condemned the attacks and held the terrorists responsible for the lack of development in the province.
Balochistan chief minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo condemned the attacks and held the terrorists responsible for the lack of development in the province. “The sacrifices of the martyred will not go to waste. All such conspiracies will be made unsuccessful with the public’s support,” Bizenjo was quoted as saying by the Dawn.
The Balochistan Information Department said that a helicopter sent to Bolan to move the injured persons to Quetta. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, so far.
An emergency has been been imposed at hospitals across Quetta.
(with inputs from Dawn, AFP)
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