At least 12 people were injured in a roadside blast targeting a Pakistani security vehicle near a private hospital in the city of Quetta on Thursday.
According to rescue officials, six civilians and four security officials were injured in a roadside blast targeting a vehicle belonging to the ATF near Al Khair Hospital in Balochistan’s provincial capital, which also shattered windows of nearby buildings, the Dawn reported.. CM Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri has condemned the attack.
According to Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, the bomb was planted beneath a bridge.
" It was a judge’s car that was passing, but I believe it was the police who were the target,” he said on Pakistani TV. “It was a remote-controlled device with 3-4 kg of explosives … I think these kinds of cowardly acts will not reduce our morale,” Bugti said.
"These blasts are aimed at sabotaging Independence Day activities in Balochistan. I believe these cowardly acts will not bring down our morale. We are in a conflict zone and we will fight with renewed resolve." he added.
The explosion comes just days after Quetta hospital suicide bombing that killed over 70 people and injured over 100. It was claimed by both a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, and also by the Islamic State militant group, which has been seeking to recruit followers in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
