A roadside bomb explosion has killed at least twelve people, including ten security personnel, in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, media reports citing local officials said Thursday.
The bomb reportedly targeted a bus carrying security personnel as it was traveling through the outskirts of Quetta city, the capital of Balochistan province. Local media quoted officials are saying that the remote control bomb was planted in an auto-rickshaw.
The resultant explosion is said to have destroyed the police bus completely and killed at least two civilians who were passing by. Several others were injured in the blast. Officials have expressed fears that the death toll might rise further as some of the injured are in critical condition.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Nevertheless, authorities are blaming the Pakistani Taliban, which has carried out several such attacks on both civilian as well as security targets in the country's volatile north-western tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Besides, Balochistan province has been home to an armed separatist movement for decades, with the insurgents fighting for greater political autonomy for the region as well as a bigger share of its vast mineral resources.
The restive province is said to have large untapped deposits of oil, gas, copper and gold. In addition to the armed separatist movement, Balochistan has also been witnessing frequent attacks by Taliban militants as well as several instances of sectarian violence in recent months.
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