Turkey condemns suicide attack in Pakistan

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey condemned a suicide attack in Pakistan which killed at least five police officers and injured several others, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

“We learned with deep sorrow that as a result of terrorist attacks perpetrated in Quetta, capital of the Balochistan province, Pakistani security officials were martyred and wounded,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn these heinous terrorist attacks and wish Allah’s mercy on those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the wounded while conveying our condolences to the Government and brotherly people of Pakistan,” the statement read.

On Tuesday, a suspected suicide bomber blew himself up near a police van at Airport Road, killing five policemen and injuring seven, said the army's media wing Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR).

Minutes earlier, two suspected suicide bombers attempted to attack a checkpoint on the eastern outskirts of Quetta, but security forces killed them before they could detonate their explosive-laden vests. No troops were killed or injured in the attack, the ISPR added.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Over the course of the last decade, the province -- especially Quetta -- has faced a deadly wave of sectarian violence in which over 2,200 people have been killed.