ISLAMABAD, Sept. 30 — Ten people were killed and 30 others injured in a suicide attack targeting the headquarters of paramilitary forces in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province on Tuesday, the provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar told media.
The attack took place in Quetta, the provincial capital, at around 11:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT), when a terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into an outer wall of the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters, while four of his accomplices wearing FC uniforms managed to slip into the building, security sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Right after infiltrating the premises, the attackers were shot dead by security forces in a swift retaliatory action, and their bodies have been taken into custody for investigation, the sources added.
Muhammad Zeeshan, operations manager of the Edhi Foundation, a non-governmental organization, in Quetta, told Xinhua that the dead included seven civilians and three security personnel, while nine security personnel, including an officer, were among the injured.
He added that a bus and a rickshaw were passing by the site when the explosion occurred, and most of the killed and injured were passengers aboard the vehicles.
The injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital Quetta, where several remain in critical condition, he added. Waseem Baig, a spokesperson for the health department, told Xinhua that a state of emergency had been declared in all major hospitals of the city, and the medical staff are on high alert to deal with the situation.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and said that the terrorists who attempt to harm innocent citizens and undermine the country’s integrity will be dealt with firmly. (Xinhua)
