A bomb explosion near a police station in southwestern Pakistan has resulted in the deaths of two children and injured 16 others, according to authorities. Seven police officers are among the injured after a remote-controlled bomb attached to a motorcycle detonated in the Pishin district on a Saturday, as reported by a local police official. “The explosives were planted in a motorcycle that was parked in the area,” said Police Officer Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman, adding that the two children were passing by when the explosion occurred. Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind stated that “terrorists target innocent people to achieve their sinister goals,” according to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn News.
So far, no groups have claimed responsibility for the attack, but Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Bomb Disposal Squad have been dispatched to the area to investigate the incident, Dawn News reports. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deep sorrow” over the victims of the attack, stating, “Those responsible for the incident must be identified and face exemplary punishment.”
In recent years, Pakistan has experienced an increase in attacks from armed groups. On Thursday, two children were killed and six others injured when armed men opened fire on a school bus in Punjab. In February, two bomb explosions, including one in Pishin, resulted in the deaths of 28 people ahead of the upcoming elections in Pakistan. ISIL (ISIS) claimed responsibility for those attacks.
The Pakistani government has struggled for decades to combat armed groups operating in various provinces across the country. Some of these groups are criminal organizations, while others, such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, aim to overthrow the government.