QUETTA, Pakistan — A roadside bomb exploded in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan on Tuesday, killing at least three police officers and wounding 18 others, according to local officials.
Authorities said the attack took place in the Mastung district, where an explosive device planted in a motorcycle detonated near a bus carrying police personnel.
The deputy police chief of Mastung said the officers were en route from Qalat to their duty station — a routine commute they made daily. This time, however, the convoy was targeted by a remotely detonated bomb hidden in the parked motorcycle.
“They travel this route every day,” the official said. “About 30 officers go to work each morning and return around 5 p.m. Today, they were targeted on their way.”
Local police reported that the injured officers were transported to a nearby hospital, with several in critical condition.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, in the past, the Baloch Liberation Army — an armed separatist group — has carried out similar operations in the region.
Pakistan’s prime minister and president both condemned the attack and called for the perpetrators to be identified and brought to justice.
Balochistan, a restive province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, has seen a surge in deadly violence in recent months. Last month, militants affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army briefly hijacked a passenger train in the province, leaving dozens dead. At least 16 militants were killed during the military’s rescue operation.
