Bombing in Southwestern Pakistan Kills 2 Army Officers

ISLAMABAD — 

The bombing of a Pakistan military vehicle in a turbulent southwestern region has killed at least two army officers and injured several others.

The roadside bombing took place Friday in Kohlu, a remote district in Baluchistan province.

A military statement said security forces were conducting an operation in the area to “deny terrorists any liberty of action” when an improvised explosive device hit a vehicle.

The slain officers included an army major and a captain. Local officials said injured troops were transported to a local hospital, where some were in “critical condition.”

No group immediately claimed responsibly for the deadly attack in a Pakistani province where ethnic Baluch insurgents regularly plot ambushes and roadside bombings against security forces.

Kohlu is a known stronghold of separatist Baluch leader Hyrbyair Marri, who, long ago, fled Pakistan and reportedly resides in London.

Several Baluch insurgent groups are active in the province and often claim credit for plotting ambushes, as well as bomb attacks on security forces.

Pakistan’s Baluchistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces have lately experienced a surge in militant attacks. Both regions line the country’s long border with Afghanistan.

The outlawed Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for much of the violence in recent months.

Baluchistan, the largest Pakistani province, also borders Iran.

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Published on 2023-02-10