A suspected suicide bombing targeted a paramilitary convoy in southwest Pakistan, killing at least five people, including three Frontier Corps troops, and injuring over 43 others, military and police officials said.
According to a statement from the Pakistan Army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a vehicle-borne suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into the Frontier Corps convoy.
The attack occurred in Noshki, a remote district in Balochistan province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.
Earlier, local media outlets reported a higher death toll of seven.
Noshki police chief Hashim Momand confirmed that more than 30 paramilitary personnel were among the wounded.
Suspected perpetrators hunted
In a subsequent security operation, three suspected terrorists were killed, the military added.
Security forces suspect the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist terror group, to be behind the latest bombing.
The attack comes just days after heavily-armed BLA militants hijacked a passenger train in Balochistan’s Bolan region, killing 26 passengers and five troops.
The Pakistan Army later killed 33 suspected militants in a day-long counterterrorism operation.
Officials fear the death toll may rise, as several of the injured remain in critical condition at Noshki Civil Hospital.
Footage aired by local broadcaster Geo News showed a charred vehicle at the blast site, with security forces standing nearby.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also denounced the bombing, stating: "Those who play with the peace of Balochistan will be brought to a tragic end."
Pakistan has witnessed a resurgence of violence in recent months, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
In a separate incident overnight, two policemen and a private security guard were killed in targeted attacks in Karak and Peshawar districts, police confirmed.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group, a coalition of militant networks operating in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for those attacks in a statement to local media.
