Islamabad, May 6 (EFE).\u2013 At least seven Pakistani paramilitary troopers were killed and several others injured Tuesday in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the restive Balochistan province amid a sharp rise in separatist violence in recent months.<\/p>
The attack targeted a vehicle of the Frontier Corps, a Pakistani paramilitary force, as it passed through the Bolan district, police officer Ilyas Hussain told EFE. Five soldiers were injured in the explosion.<\/p>
In a subsequent statement, the Pakistani army confirmed that seven troopers were killed in the bombing and announced a search operation to track down the perpetrators.<\/p>
Authorities blamed the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which Islamabad alleges is backed by India and its spy agencies, hit their vehicle, the military said.<\/p>
However, no group has claimed responsibility so far. The BLA is the province\u2019s most active separatist groups. <\/p>
\u201cTerrorists belonging to Indian proxy, the so-called \u2018Baloch Liberation Army\u2019 targeted security forces\u2019 vehicle with an improvised explosive device,\u201d a military statement said. It did not back up the claim with any proof.<\/p>
The army said security forces were sanitizing the area \u201cto eliminate any terrorist present.\u201d<\/p>
Balochistan has long been a hotbed of separatist insurgency.<\/p>
On Mar. 11, the BLA hijacked the Jaffar Express, a train carrying over 400 passengers, many of them security personnel, in Bolan district.<\/p>
The standoff lasted nearly 48 hours and resulted in more than 60 deaths, including 33 attackers, 26 hostages, and five security forces.<\/p>
The BLA and other separatist factions frequently target security forces, accusing Islamabad of exploiting Balochistan\u2019s rich mineral resources while neglecting local development.<\/p>
Their operations often include attacks on Chinese nationals and workers from other Pakistani provinces, whom they see as collaborators in this perceived exploitation.<\/p>
Just weeks earlier, on Mar. 27, a bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in Quetta, the provincial capital, left three people dead and 20 others wounded.<\/p>
The latest attack comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following a deadly Apr.22 attack in the Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 26 people in the famed resort of Pahalgam. <\/p>
India has blamed militants backed by Pakistan for the attack and claims to possess evidence to back the claim, although it has yet to make any such information public. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the assault.<\/p>
Kashmir remains the flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought multiple wars and skirmishes over the disputed territory since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. EFE<\/p>
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