Explosion in southwestern Pakistan kills one, injures 16

ISTANBUL/ISLAMABAD

At least one person was killed and 16 injured in an explosion Monday in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, said officials.

The blast occurred in Panjgur district, an official at the district’s police control room told Anadolu by phone.

The official said it was “apparently an IED blast targeting civilians” in Chatkan Bazaar, referring to an improvised explosive device.

Police and security forces swiftly cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to secure the site and collect evidence.

In a separate blast Monday, one person was killed and nine others were injured in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after an IED targeting a vehicle of a cement factory in Lakki Marwat district went off, police said, according to local broadcaster Geo News.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack.

The incidents occurred a day after four police personnel were killed in two separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

On Sunday, three police officers were killed in a suspected militant attack in Lakki Marwat district.

A local civil administration official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity that police conducted a search-and-strike operation following the attack, killing one militant during a clash, while a police officer was also injured.

The official added that the operation is still ongoing in the area.

Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.