At least 5 killed, 16 wounded in bomb blast in western Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD. KAZINFORM At least five people, including a policeman, were killed and 16 others wounded in a bomb blast near the police headquarters in Pakistan's western city of Quetta, EFE reports.

The explosion took place at 8.43 am (3.43 am GMT) near the Inspector General Police Office on Gulistan Road and a checkpoint in a high-security area, local police official Abdul Wali told EFE.

"The dead and injured also include secret police personnel as it's a very sensitive area but we are still not sure how many they might be," he said.

According to the officer, it is still unclear if it was a suicide attack or if the bomb was detonated by remote control.

An "investigation is underway to determine the nature of the blast," Wali explained.

Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan, is one of the most conflict-ridden areas in Pakistan and has been the scene of serious insurgent attacks, including one in October against a police academy that killed 62 cadets and a captain.

Two weeks ago, in another attack on the police in Quetta, three policemen were killed and one civilian injured in a shootout at a checkpoint.

Islamabad launched a new nationwide military offensive against the insurgency, dubbed operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, or Elimination of Discord".

The offensive is a continuation of the Zarb-e-Azb operation launched in tribal areas in June 2014 which, according to the army, killed 3,500 insurgents.

 

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