Bomb targeting police assigned for polio drive kills 9 people, including 5 children, in SW Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan -- A powerful explosive attached to a motorcycle exploded adjacent a conveyance carrying constabulary officers assigned to protect polio workers successful restive southwest Pakistan connected Friday, sidesplitting 9 group including 5 adjacent children, and wounding 17 different people, officials said.

Local constabulary main Fateh Mohammad said nan onslaught occurred successful Mastung, a territory successful Balochistan province. He said a motorized rickshaw carrying schoolchildren was adjacent erstwhile nan bombing happened, resulting successful nan deaths of 5 children, a constabulary serviceman and 2 passersby.

Some of nan wounded were moved to a infirmary successful Quetta, nan superior of Balochistan province, said Wasim Baig, a spokesperson for nan wellness department. He said 7 group died connected nan spot, while 2 men who had been critically wounded died astatine a hospital.

No 1 instantly claimed work for nan onslaught connected police, but suspicion is apt to autumn connected separatist groups and Pakistani Taliban that person stepped up attacks connected information forces and civilians successful caller months.

The constabulary main successful Mastung, Rehmat Ullah, said a constabulary van came nether onslaught erstwhile it was heading to a wellness halfway to escort polio workers for nan door-to-door run that began connected Monday to vaccinate 45 cardinal children nether 5, pursuing a surge successful caller cases.

Pakistan has recorded 41 polio cases crossed 71 districts truthful acold this year.

The latest onslaught came days aft militants attacked a wellness halfway utilized successful nan ongoing anti-polio campaign successful northwestern territory of Orakzai, triggering a shootout that near 2 policemen dead. Three of nan attackers were besides killed successful nan speech of fire.

Militants successful Pakistan often target constabulary and wellness workers during campaigns against polio, claiming nan vaccination drives are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only 2 countries successful nan world wherever nan dispersed of polio has ne'er been stopped.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and nan main curate of Balochistan, Sarfraz Bugti, some denounced nan bombing and vowed to proceed nan warfare against insurgents until they are eliminated from nan country.

Balochistan is nan tract of a long-running insurgency, pinch an array of separatist groups staging attacks chiefly connected information forces. The groups, including nan Baloch Liberation Army, request independency from nan cardinal government.

The BLA has besides attacked foreigners. Last month, it claimed work for a bombing that targeted Chinese nationals extracurricular an airdrome successful nan confederate metropolis of Karachi, sidesplitting 2 workers from China and wounding 8 people.

Thousands of Chinese workers are successful Pakistan arsenic portion of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which is building awesome infrastructure projects.

Beijing has often demanded amended information for its nationals successful Pakistan.

China's ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, urged Pakistan astatine a seminar this week to return action against nan insurgents responsible for “unacceptable” attacks connected Chinese moving connected projects related to nan China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a sprawling package that includes roadworthy construction, powerfulness plants and agriculture.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch connected Thursday expressed her astonishment complete nan ambassador's remarks, saying that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who besides attended nan seminar, had said “Pakistan is committed to providing afloat information to Chinese nationals, projects and institutions successful Pakistan. Our committedness has been conveyed astatine nan elder astir levels of nan Chinese government.”

She said Jiang's connection was “perplexing successful position of nan affirmative negotiated traditions.”

One Pakistani edifice chain, Avari, said nan authorities has instructed that proscription and airdrome transfers for Chinese guests must beryllium arranged by nan big aliases sponsor “via a bomb/bullet-proof vehicle” pinch information protocols.

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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed successful Islamabad and Asim Tanveer successful Multan, Pakistan contributed.