Team News Riveting
Islamabad, March 6
Eight policemen and one civilian were killed in a suicide attack on a Balochistan Constabulary van in the Dhadar tehsil of the Kacchi district in Bolan on Monday.
According to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the incident took place at 10am on the Kambri bridge in the area bordering the Sibi and Kachhi districts. He said the police van with Balochistan Constabulary personnel was returning to Quetta from Dhadar, where they were deployed for duty at a Sibi cultural festival.
“The van collided with a motorcycle which was being driven by a suicide bomber. As a result, nine people were martyred, of which one was a civilian,” Sanaullah said. The condition of three of the 13 injured in the attack was reported to be critical.
No organisation had so far claimed responsibility for the attack. The officials suspect it was the handiwork of Taliban-backed militant organisation.
Over the past few months, the law-and-order situation in the country has worsened with terrorist groups inflicting devastating incidence across the country. Since the talks with the TTP broke down in November, the militant group has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in KP and areas bordering Afghanistan.
Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and formalised a nexus with the outlawed TTP, according to officials.
According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think-tank, January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.
