Pakistan: At least 4 soldiers killed, 10 more injured after IED blast in Balochistan

An improvised explosive device (IED) strike in the Sibi district of Balochistan killed four Pakistani soldiers and badly injured 10 more on March 16, according to local media reports. The IED blast comes just days after the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in the same district that claimed the lives of at least 7 Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistan's local media reported that the suicide bomber's name was Abdul Rehman Al Bakistani. Notably, Pakistan has been rocked by a series of terror attacks since the beginning of the year, with major cities such as Islamabad and Lahore being attacked.

The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, recently published a report confirming the notion that Pakistan has been progressively slipping towards disorder and instability over the past few years.

Similar bombing incidents in March

Earlier this month, on March 4, a bomb exploded at a Shia mosque in Peshawar, killing at least 62 people and injuring dozens more, many of whom were badly injured. The explosion occurred as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at the Kucha Risaldar mosque in Peshawar's old city region.

More than 190 persons were injured as a result of the explosion. Further, seven Frontier Constabulary paramilitary men were killed four days later on March 8 in Sibi, Balochistan, in another suicide attack targeting a cultural event.

The explosion occurred near a large open space where the celebration was taking place. Officials say seven security guards were killed in the blast. It was a suicide bombing, according to local media reports. Moreover, at least 28 people were hurt and five of them were in critical condition when they arrived at the Civil Hospital.

In a similar incident on March 12, one police officer was injured in an IED attack in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Tank city.

(With agency inputs)

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