Panjgur: 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 informed Anadolu by phone. The official described it as "apparently an IED blast targeting civilians" in Chatkan Bazaar, referring to an improvised explosive device.
According to Anadolu Agency - English, police and security forces quickly cordoned off the area and initiated a search operation to secure the site and collect evidence. In a separate incident on 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 detonated, police reported, according to local broadcaster Geo News.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for either attack. The incidents took place 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, speaking to Anadolu on condition of anonymity, stated that police conducted a search-and-strike operation after the attack, resulting in the death of one militant during a clash, while a police officer was injured. The official mentioned that the operation is ongoing in the area.
Pakistan has experienced a rise in terrorist attacks in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.