Islamabad, April 11, (dpa/GNA) – At least four people were killed in a blast in south-western Pakistan on Monday, days after the country announced a new military operation to root out Islamist militants.
“At least four people were killed in the blast in Quetta,” Hameed Ullah, a spokesperson for Quetta police, told dpa.
The nature of the attack in which eight people, including policemen, were wounded, is not yet known, he said.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Last week, the government announced a new military operation against militants amid a surge in violence and targeted attacks against the security forces.
On Sunday, two soldiers were killed in northwestern Pakistan, when a roadside bomb exploded targeting a military vehicle. The Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan, which shares a border with both Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan’s largest and most volatile province.
It faces a multifaceted threat from jihadist groups, including the Taliban, Sunni sectarian militants targeting Shiite Muslims, and nationalist insurgents seeking to liberate their province.
The violence is partly seen as a response by rebels to Beijing’s investment plans linking China’s Xinjiang province with the Gulf in Balochistan through a network of roads and rail tracks.
Attacks targeting law enforcement agencies and workers from other provinces, especially those working on projects initiated by China under a $62-billion investment plan, are common in Balochistan.
GNA