Terrorism in Quetta: Bomb targeting police van injures 5

QUETTA: A roadside bomb targeting a police van injured at least five cops in Quetta on Tuesday.

The van carrying Rapid Response Group personnel was patrolling the Eastern Bypass area when it was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), SSP Operations Nadeem Hussain told the media.



Five policemen, including an RRG officer, were wounded. They were driven to the Combined Military Hospital, where three of them were said to be in a critical condition. The injured were identified as ASI Noor Ahmed and constables Muhammad Tariq, Muhammad Nawaz, Shahnawaz and Liaquat.



Security forces rushed to the spot after the blast and cordoned off the site. Around two kilos of explosives were used in the IED, police said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Separatist militants frequently target security forces and government installations in Balochistan, which has been plagued by a low-key insurgency for more than a decade now.



The attack came a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Quetta to launch the National Health Scheme. The premier condemned the blast and directed the provincial authorities to ensure the best medical treatment of the victims. He also prayed for early recovery of the injured.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2016.