Terrorists kill 39 in several 'coordinated' attacks in SW Pakistan
Terrorists have killed at least 39 people in several attacks carried out in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan.
The fatalities were caused on Monday with the so-called Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of several terrorist groups in Balochistan, claiming responsibility.
"We have confirmed 39 people killed in several coordinated attacks carried out by the BLA terrorists," AFP reported, quoting Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan provincial government.
As many as 23 of the deaths were caused after dozens of gunmen stopped many vehicles on a highway connecting Balochistan with the neighboring province of Punjab, opening fire on the occupants, who were from Punjab, the agency added, citing another official, named as Najibullah Kakar.
"Vehicles traveling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot," he said.
Ten others were also killed in the province’s Kalat district, including four paramilitary officers and one policeman, a provincial government spokesman noted.
The rest of the fatalities occurred during a reported railway bridge explosion in the province’s Bolan district.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep grief and condemnation over the terrorist attack" in a statement issued by his office.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks over the past two years.
It has accused neighboring Afghanistan, which is ruled by the Taliban, of failing to clamp down on, what Islamabad calls, terrorists who hole up in the border area to prepare for attacks on Pakistan.
Earlier this year, however, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid asserted that the group would not allow the Afghan soil to be used against other countries, including Pakistan.
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