Seven Pakistani paramilitary troops were killed and five others injured today in a bomb attack on a convoy near the town of Mach in Kachhi district in southwestern Balochistan province. The attack took place around noon in a mountainous region rich in coal mines that has been hit regularly by attacks from separatist groups led by the Baloch Liberation
Army.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Violence has surged in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, in recent years as separatist groups step up their fight against Pakistani authorities, accusing them of exploiting the region’s natural resources.