Blast kills 4 in southwestern Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – At least four people, including two policemen, were killed and several others injured in an explosion targeting a security vehicle in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Monday, police and local media reported.

The explosion – the latest in a host of terrorist attacks – occurred on a busy street of Quetta city, Balochistan's capital, near a police vehicle, which was on a routine patrol, the police said.

At least 11 injured, including police personnel, were transported to a local hospital.

Several vehicles, including motorbikes, parked along the street were also damaged in the explosion.

Footage played out on local broadcaster Dawn News showed a portion of the street strewn with pieces of broken glasses and clothing, shoes, and metal parts of damaged vehicles.

No group claimed responsibility for the blast, although the outlawed Baloch separatist groups, and militants loyal to Pakistani Taliban's mother organization, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, have long been targeting security forces across the mineral-rich province.

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest but poorest province. Security forces have long been facing a low-intensity rebellion by Baloch separatists.

The province is also a key route of the $64 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which aims to connect China's strategically important northwestern Xinjiang province to Balochistan’s Gawadar port through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines for cargo, oil, and gas transportation.