Roadside bomb close to Iran border kills 6 Pakistani troops

In this file photo, paramilitary soldiers wear face masks as they stand in front of a closed gate of Pakistan's border post, after Pakistan sealed its border with Iran as a preventive measure following the coronavirus outbreak, at the border post in Taftan on Feb. 25, 2020. (REUTERS)
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Updated 08 May 2020
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Roadside bomb close to Iran border kills 6 Pakistani troops

  • Military said the personnel were assigned to look for smuggling routes and militants
  • No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing

QUETTA: A roadside bombing in a remote area in southwestern Balochistan province, close to the border with Iran, struck a patrol vehicle on Friday, killing six soldiers, including an army major, the Pakistani military said.
A statement from the military said the attack happened as the troops, assigned to look for smuggling routes and militants, were returning to camp from a mountainous border district of Baluchistan province.




The collage released by Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) on May 8, 2020, shows photos of the slain soldiers. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in the Keck district, but such attacks are common across Baluchistan and in its capital, Quetta.
The province has for years been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists who complain of discrimination and demand a fairer share of the province’s resources and wealth. 
Militants also have a presence in the province.