QUETTA: Three militants and two civilians were killed, while 17 people, including paramilitary soldiers, were injured when an explosives-laden vehicle targeted a security post in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Thursday, officials said, as a separatist militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The bombing took place in the Kandawa area of Mastung district, about 10 kilometers from Mastung city, amid continuing separatist violence in the mineral-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan. Police said security forces killed three militants while responding to the attack, which also damaged nearby homes and a mosque.

“Two civilians were killed in the attack,” a senior government official in Mastung told Arab News by phone on condition of anonymity, confirming that a security post of the paramilitary Frontier Corps had been targeted.

“17 people including four soldiers of the paramilitary forces were injured.”

The official said the force of the explosion destroyed five nearby houses, while the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.

In a separate statement, Balochistan Police said security forces had thwarted the attack on Kandawa Post along National Highway N-25 and killed three militants in a retaliatory operation.

“Three terrorists were killed during the retaliatory operation,” the police statement said.

Police also confirmed the deaths of the two civilians, saying the explosion had damaged a nearby mosque and residential buildings, while three Frontier Corps personnel were among those injured.

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the most prominent separatist militant groups operating in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group has carried out attacks on security forces, infrastructure and Chinese-linked projects in the province, which is central to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multibillion-dollar infrastructure and energy initiative.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, is rich in minerals and natural gas but remains among the country’s least developed regions.

Separatist militants have long demanded greater control over the province’s resources, accusing the Pakistani state of exploiting its natural wealth without adequately benefiting local communities. Islamabad rejects the allegations, saying it has launched development projects to improve economic opportunities and living standards.

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