Pakistan: Suicide bombing kills three near Quetta June 4

Event

On Monday, June 4, three Frontier Corps (FC) troops were killed and three others injured in a suicide attack carried out in Mastung district, near Quetta (Balochistan province). According to reports, a second would-be suicide bomber was shot dead before detonating his explosives. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Context

Quetta, located in north-central Pakistan, has been plagued by violence in recent months and years, due in large part to its placement along a prominent arms smuggling route. Car bombings, suicide bombings, and armed attacks - perpetrated by various Baloch insurgent groups as well as a number of Islamist terrorist groups - are common and often target local security forces as well as lawyers.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qai'da, Islamic State (IS) affiliates, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Afghan Taliban, and other Islamist militant groups continue to pose a threat throughout the country despite continued army offensives to push them from their northwestern strongholds near the Afghan border. Pakistan has suffered a number of deadly attacks in recent months, notably in Lahore, Quetta, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Advice

Individuals present in Balochistan are advised to remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities.

Due to a high threat from terrorism, as well as kidnapping and sectarian violence throughout Pakistan, some Western governments advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country as foreign nationals, and in particular Westerners, may be directly targeted.