Seven Pakistani paramilitary troops were killed and five others injured today in a bomb attack on a convoy near the town of Mach in Kachhi district in southwestern Balochistan province.
The attack took place around noon in a mountainous region rich in coal mines that has been hit regularly by attacks from separatist groups led by the Baloch Liberation Army. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Violence has surged in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, in recent years as separatist groups step up their fight against Pakistani authorities, accusing them of exploiting the region’s natural resources.
The Pakistani military said in a statement that “terrorists” from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had targeted a vehicle carrying security forces with a homemade bomb near the town of Mach in Kachhi district.
It said seven paramilitary troops were killed.
A senior local government official told AFP the vehicle that was hit was part of a convoy on its way to a security operation.
He said five others were wounded and were taken by helicopter to a military hospital in the provincial capital, Quetta.
The attack took place around noon in a mountainous region rich in coal mines that has been hit regularly by attacks from separatist groups led by the BLA.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
More than 200 people, mostly members of the security forces, have been killed since January 1 by armed groups in Balochistan and neighbouring Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, according to an AFP tally.