4 killed, 20 injured in SW Pakistan gun, bomb attack

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) — At least four people were killed and another 20 injured in a gun-and-bomb attack in southwest Pakistan on Sunday evening, an official said.

The attack occurred near a compound of Frontier Crops, a paramilitary force, in the Qila Abdullah district of southwestern Balochistan province.

District administrative head Abdullah Riaz Khan told reporters that "terrorists" wanted to blow up the outer wall of the security compound through an improvised explosive device explosion.

The explosion, he added, was followed by an exchange of fire between security forces and "terrorists."

Several shops and vehicles in a nearby market were also damaged in the blast.

Local broadcaster Samaa News, quoting security sources, reported that at least two suspected attackers were killed in the attack.

There was no immediate word on the claim of responsibility for the attack.

Outlawed Balochistan separatists and militants loyal to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have long been targeting security forces and civilians in the mineral-rich province.