The Islamic State group has claimed a bomb explosion targeting police in Pakistan’s southwest that martyred three policemen and wounded more than a dozen.
A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle on Tuesday targeted a passing bus carrying 40 policemen in Mastung, Balochistan, where security forces have been battling violence for decades.
In a statement late Tuesday, the group’s regional branch, Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which often carries out attacks on security forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan, claimed its “soldiers” targeted the police.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the bombing and expressed profound grief over the loss of precious lives.