10 Killed in Suicide Blast in Pakistan

At least 10 people, including six civilians and four soldiers, were killed in a suicide car bombing on Tuesday outside the Frontier Corps headquarters in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan.

According to local officials, CCTV footage showed a small pickup truck approaching the entrance before detonating.

A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the suicide attacker blew up the explosives-laden vehicle as five armed accomplices attempted to storm the compound. All attackers were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is rich in minerals and hydrocarbon resources but remains one of Pakistan’s poorest provinces, with 70 percent of the population living below the poverty line.

The province has long been plagued by an armed separatist insurgency seeking to drive out foreign investors and accusing the federal government of exploiting its natural wealth without benefiting local communities.

Pakistan’s military has been fighting insurgent groups in the region for over a decade. Violence escalated sharply in 2024, leaving 782 people dead. The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies reported 521 terrorist attacks across the country in 2024, and 567 attacks so far this year, with most concentrated in border regions with Afghanistan.

Ameer Rana, head of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, told AFP that terrorist incidents have significantly increased this year, particularly in Balochistan. Since January, more than 460 people, mostly security personnel, have been killed in militant violence in Balochistan and neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Security sources confirmed that authorities recovered weapons and explosives from the attackers during the operation.

In a separate development, at least 13 passengers, including women and children, were killed and dozens injured in two road accidents in Balochistan, police and rescue officials reported on Thursday.

According to Pakistan’s Geo News, six people were killed and 17 injured when a passenger bus collided with a truck in the Lasbela Uthal district. In another accident in Hub-Winder, seven passengers lost their lives and 16 were injured when a bus overturned.

Senior police officer Asif Aamir confirmed that the crash in Lasbela Uthal caused major disruption to traffic along the highway, as rescue teams and local officials cleared debris and provided aid to victims.