Islamabad - Saba:
Four Pakistani security personnel were killed and three others wounded on Friday when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted their vehicle in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province in the country's southwest.
Police official Naveed Ahmed said in a statement that the IED was planted on the side of the road and exploded as a security patrol passed, killing four personnel instantly.
Ahmed indicated that the injured were transferred to area hospitals for treatment. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
For his part, Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack, describing it as "terrorist." In an official statement, he expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and affirmed the government's commitment to prosecuting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
The attack comes amid escalating violence in Balochistan province, which witnessed a similar bombing last March that killed five security personnel and wounded 12 others.
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