A roadside bomb exploded near a police office in the troubled southwest region of Balochistan, Pakistan, on Saturday, killing at least two children and injuring 16 others, according to authorities.
Police officials stated that the injured included both police officers and bystanders.
Manzoor Buleidi, Chief Inspector of Police in the city of Pishin, reported that seven police officers were injured after an explosive device, remotely detonated, was attached to a motorcycle near the police headquarters.
Officer Mujib Rahman confirmed, "The explosives were affixed to a motorcycle parked in the area," adding that the two children who were killed were passing by when the explosion occurred. Some of the injured were taken to the hospital in critical condition, and the bodies of the deceased were also transferred to a nearby hospital.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Pishin, a district in the Balochistan province. However, suspicion is likely to fall on separatist groups that have intensified their attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the death of the two children in the explosion and extended his condolences to their families, wishing a swift recovery for all the injured.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the bombing in a statement, mourning the loss of the children and stating that those responsible "do not deserve to be called human."
For years, Balochistan has been the site of a low-level insurgency by groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. Although the government claims to have suppressed the rebellion, violence in the region has persisted.
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