Turbat blast kills at least two, injures four

QUETTA: An improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the Dasht area of Balochistan's Turbat district on Wednesday, claiming the lives of at least two people and injuring four others.

According to the police, the remote-controlled explosion occurred when the victims were travelling inside a vehicle.

Meanwhile, the bodies and the wounded were shifted to a hospital. Those killed in the blast have been identified as Zaman and Umer Zahoor, whereas the injured include Naeem, Javed, Ameen and Waheed.

The incident comes amid a surge in terrorist incidents in the country, which has affected Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the most.

Earlier this month, two people were killed in a bomb explosion behind Levies station in Killa Abdullah. However, Assistant Commissioner Shehak Baloch said that the deceased were carrying a bomb to attack the station but before reaching their target the bomb exploded and both of them were killed.

The month of November was also marred by violence in the province with two soldiers being martyred in an IED blast during an operation in Harnai. The martyred soldiers were identified as Major Muhammad Haseeb and Havildar Noor Ahmed.

Before that at least 27 people, including security personnel, were killed and 62 others were wounded in a suicide attack at the Quetta railway station.

It is pertinent to mention that the increase in terrorist attacks coincides with the return of the Taliban government in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The third quarter of 2024 (July-September) witnessed a sharp uptick in fatalities in terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns with a 90% surge in violence, according to a report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).

A total of 722 people were killed, including civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, while 615 others were wounded in as many as 328 incidents recorded during the period under review.

Nearly 97% of these fatalities occurred in KP and Balochistan — marking the highest percentage in a decade, and over 92% of these incidents of terror attacks and security forces' operations were recorded in the same provinces.

The total fatalities from three quarters of this year have now surpassed the total fatalities recorded for the entire 2023; the number of fatalities rose to at least 1,534 in the first three quarters compared to 1,523 in 2023.