Two killed, 24 injured in rocket attack on train in Balochistan

The attack took place near the village of Dozan in Balochistan as the train was heading to Rawalpindi.

SIBI: Unidentified militants killed two people and wounded 24 on Friday in a gun and rocket attack on a passenger train in restive southwest Pakistan, officials said.

Women and children were among the casualties in the attack that took place in the Dozan area of Balochistan, some 35 kilometres southeast of Quetta, the main town of Baluchistan province that has been beset by militant and sectarian violence.

"We have taken two dead bodies and 24 injured to the hospital, the condition of most of which was critical because of excessive bleeding," Zubair Kurd, a local government official in the area told media, warning that the death toll may increase.

Kurd said that the attackers had been hiding in the mountains and first started firing and then fired at least three rockets at the train that was travelling from Quetta to Rawalpindi.

"They managed to escape. We have launched a search operation," Kurd added.

The attack came nine days after separatist gunmen shot dead 14 people, including three security officials in Mach area, close to Dozan.
Later on August 10, Pakistani troops claimed killing eight rebels linked to that attack.

Baluch rebels have been fighting since 2004 for political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's natural oil, gas and mineral resources.

Balochistan is also a flashpoint for surging sectarian violence between Pakistan's majority Sunni and Shia Muslims, who account for around a fifth of the country's 180 million people.