Terrorism

An explosion that targeted a police vehicle in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province has killed at least three officers. No group has so far claimed the attack.At least three police officers were killed and 16 others injured on Tuesday after a bus carrying police personnel exploded in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.While no group has claimed the attack, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is the most active group in the region that carries out such deadly attacks on security forces.The blast was reportedly caused by an improvised roadside bomb in Mastung district, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the provincial capital Quetta."An explosive device exploded in the Mastung district targeting a police bus coming from Kalat. Three members of the Balochistan Police were killed in the explosion. Sixteen members of this institution were injured," Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind told the EFE news agency."The condition of two of those injured (in the attack) is critical. All the injured have been taken to the hospital, while the seriously injured are being transferred to Quetta," the spokesman said.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the attack and vowed to continue the "fight against terrorism."Authorities in the conflict-ridden Balochistan region, bordering Afghanistan and Iran, have requested an investigation report into the incident.Authorities in Pakistan have been fighting a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, with militants targeting security forces as well as foreign nationals.The mineral-rich southwestern province borders Afghanistan and Iran.The situation in Balochistan has become increasingly tense in the last month after several Baloch separatist groups announced the formation of a common armed front on March 2.The violence escalated significantly with the hijacking of the Jaffar Express passenger train with more than 400 people on board on March 11.The hijacking, claimed by the BLA, ended after a 48-hour operation by security forces in which 33 insurgents were killed.
In addition, 26 people, including 18 soldiers, three railway employees, and five civilians were killed.On March 27, three people were killed and twenty others injured in a bomb attack on a police vehicle in Quetta.
The rise in insurgent attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, has been linked to the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan, with Pakistan accusing the Afghan government of harboring militant groups.