Pakistan blast leads to 4 dead, 15 injured in Quetta
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The Pakistani police are once again hit with an explosion amid an increase in terrorist attacks in the country.
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Police officers examine a damaged police vehicle at the site of bomb blast, in Quetta, Pakistan, April 10, 2023 (AP)
An explosion that took place in Pakistan's Qandhari Bazar on Monday killed four people, including two police officers, and injured 15 others.
The blast took place next to a vehicle parked next to the Bazar on Shahrah-e-Iqbal, Quetta, with SSP Operations Captain Zohaib Mohsin saying the target was the police vehicle itself.
The explosives were planted in a motorcycle, Mohsin said, adding that the initial information suggests that three to four kilos of explosives were used.
The injured were immediately transferred to Civil Hospital Quetta for medical treatment, Mohsen Mohsin added, noting that the injured also included women and children.
"According to initial information, three to four kilos of explosives were used in the blast," the police official said.
Material damages included "two vehicles, including the police van."
TV footage showed a damaged police vehicle surrounded by several personnel, while several ambulances were also seen leaving the site.
The incident comes a day after two cops were killed and another was injured in an attack by unknown assailants in Killi Spine, Kuchlak.
The policemen were patrolling on a motorcycle when the assailants opened fire and injured three of them, with officials saying the attack was carried out by terrorists.
The police have been for months facing terrorist attacks amid a rise in bombings in the country. In February, a blast erupted near a police checkpoint, injuring a number of people.
The explosion reportedly happened near the Quetta Police headquarters and the Quetta Cantonment entrance.
City police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan told AFP that "the purpose was to demoralize us as a force," adding that "we are on the frontline taking action against militants and that is why we were targeted."
The bomber carried 10-12 kilograms of "explosive material in bits and pieces," according to the head of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province police force, Moazzam Jah Ansari.
Another explosion took place later in the month in Balochistan, injuring around a dozen people and killing four others.
Balochistan province has allegedly seen an increase in violent incidents, including bombings and targeted attacks in recent months, prompting heightened security measures and public safety concerns.
Another suicide bombing hit the Pakistani police days later, when a suicide bomber rammed a motorcycle into a police truck, killing nine policemen.
Hospital officials said at least seven policemen were also wounded in the attack, the latest in a series targeting police personnel in Pakistan.
It is noteworthy that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned of additional attacks on law enforcement officers after one of its suicide squads raided a police compound in Karachi, killing four people.
