Taliban suicide bomber kills nine in Quetta

Karachi, February 6 

A powerful blast rocked the congested Kachari area of Quetta near the premises of the heavily guarded city district courts.

Nine persons were killed and about 40 others injured when the Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle was targeted, officials said.

DIG Imtiaz Shah was quoted by Dawn News as saying that it was a suicide attack and the attacker blew himself up near a vehicle belonging to the FC.

Anwar-ul-Haq, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, said the injured were shifted to hospitals and among them the condition of eight was critical.

The Kachari area that houses the district and sessions courts, a market and a hospital, is usually packed with people and Haq said it was congested as usual when the blast took place near Liaquat park.

“Those killed included an eight-year-old girl, FC personnel and women,” he said. Haq said around 8 kg explosives were used in the attack and the blast shattered and damaged nearby buildings and the security vehicle.

“Four members of the FC have been killed in the blast, while the remaining five are locals,” Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani told The Express Tribune.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack, reports said. — PTI