Suicide bombing in southwestern Pakistan kills 10 policemen

Mahmood Notenzai, an area police chief, mentioned the officers have been on a routine patrol when the assault occurred, initially killing 9. The casualties have been taken to a close-by hospital, the place one of many critically wounded policemen later died, he added. Sibi is about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of Quetta, the provincial capital.

Notenzai mentioned the officers who got here below assault have been deployed final week to Sibi, the place an annual cultural competition was held amid tight safety. An military helicopter was despatched to evacuate the critically wounded to a hospital in Quetta, the place higher well being services can be found.

Last 12 months, a suicide bomber from the extremist Islamic State group focused President Arif Alvi ‘s security convoy when he attended the Sibi festival. Alvi was far away from the site of the bombing, which killed five troops. IS militants later claimed responsibility for that attack.

The festival has been celebrated for several centuries to mark the advent of summer.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack. In a statement, he expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and ordered health officials to provide the best medical care for the wounded policemen. He said the attack was part of nefarious enemy plans to destabilize Pakistan and vowed to defeat terrorism.

Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, the top elected official in Baluchistan, also denounced the bombing.

“The terrorists who are carrying out such attacks are the enemy of Pakistan,” he said, adding that they will not shake the resolve of the country’s police.

Baluchistan has lengthy struggled with a low-level insurgency by the Baluchistan Liberation Army and different small separatist teams demanding independence from the central authorities in Islamabad.

Authorities declare to have quelled the insurgency however violence has persevered. The province has additionally seen assaults by militants from each the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group.