Pakistan: Armed attack against police in Quetta June 6

Event

On Wednesday, June 6, one police officer was killed and another injured after their vehicle was shot at on Arbab Karam Khan Road in Quetta (Balochistan province). The assailants reportedly fled the scene. 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 Quetta, and Pakistan more generally, 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, some Western governments advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country as foreign nationals, and in particular Westerners, may be directly targeted.