Suicide bomber kills 10 officers on Pakistan police truck

Gulf Today Report

A suicide bomber targeted a truck carrying police officers in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing 10 officers and wounding 12 others, police said.

Mahmood Notenzai, a local police chief, said the officers were on a routine patrol when the attack happened, initially killing nine. The casualties were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of the critically wounded policemen later died, he added. Sibi is about 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of Quetta, the provincial capital.

The force of the blast overturned the truck, which caused additional injuries, he said. Trucks often transport troops in Pakistan.

A man, who was injured at a bombing, sits in an ambulance as he arrived at a hospital, in Sibi, Pakistan. AP

Notenzai said the officers who came under attack were deployed last week to Sibi, where an annual cultural festival was held amid tight security. An army helicopter was sent to evacuate the seriously wounded to a hospital in Quetta, where better health facilities are available.

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"The suicide bomber was riding a motorbike and hit the truck from behind," senior police official Abdul Hai Aamir told the media.

Local ethnic group has been fighting the government for decades, accusing it of exploiting Balochistan's rich gas and mineral resources. No group has claimed responsibility for Monday's attack.