1 dead, 12 injured in blast at Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan's Chaman area

A child has died and at least 12 other people were injured after a suspected suicide attack attempted to target a paramilitary vehicle near the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan, officials told DawnNews.

The injured had been taken to Civil Hospital Chaman for treatment, with three of them in critical condition, District Police Officer Abdul Hayee Baloch and administration official Qaiser Khan Nasir said.

A 12-year-old boy injured in the blast succumbed to his injuries at CHC, hospital sources said.

Nasir said a suicide bomber targeted the paramilitary patrol but their vehicle sped away and it was passers-by who were struck by the explosion.

A senior administration official speaking to DawnNews added that body parts of a suspected suicide attacker were collected by law enforcement agencies during an initial sweep of the area following the blast.

Security has been tightened in and around the border in the aftermath of the explosion. Besides Levies, Frontier Corps personnel have also reached the spot and cordoned off the area to probe the incident.

Majlis-e-Abrar, a breakaway faction of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has claimed several such attacks earlier.

In the recent past, militants have carried out low-intensity bombings in Chaman, targeting police stations and other national installations.

Chaman is considered a sensitive town in Balochistan as it shares a border with Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province.

Last week, Pakistani and Afghan officials had, in a meeting in Kabul, agreed to formulate an action plan seeking to improve security along the Pak-Afghan border through enhanced cooperation.

However, a day after the meeting, at least six Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel and a child were injured in two consecutive explosions at the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The same day, a United States (US) drone strike killed three suspected militants in Kurram Agency near the shared border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have shared a tense relationship as of late, with both sides accusing each other of housing terrorists.

The latest violence at the Pak-Afghan border comes after the US announced a new Afghanistan and South Asia policy, taking a harder line on Pakistan as it urged Islamabad to take stronger action against 'safe havens' in the country.

Pakistan has denied allowing terrorists to use its soil against any other country. Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Defence Day said that Pakistan is ready to help the US and Nato for peace in Afghanistan, but Pakistan’s security concerns must also be addressed.

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