At least eight people dead, over 30 others injured in suspected suicide attack.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on Saturday claimed responsibility for a suspected suicide attack on a paramilitary convoy in Quetta that left at least eight people dead and 30 others injured.
“The TTP accepts responsibility for the attack on a Frontier Corps convoy in Quetta,” said Mohammad Khorasani, the militants’ spokesman, in a statement issued to media.
“It appears to be a suicide attack,” confirmed Balochistan’s provincial government spokesman Anwar-ul-Haq. “Militants are waging war against the government, and the government is responding valiantly,” he said, adding that two Frontier Corps personnel were among the deceased.
Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Durrani said the blast was still being investigated. He noted the attack had targeted a busy thoroughfare that is close to the Quetta Press Club and the district courts.
The government has imposed an emergency in local hospitals, and law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area and started a search operation for any facilitators.
The Pakistani Taliban have ramped up their attacks on security forces and civilians alike in recent weeks, prompting criticism of Islamabad’s National Action Plan against terrorism. On Jan. 20, the militant group attacked a university in Charsadda, killing 21 people.