Four Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred and three other suffered injuries in an explosion near a security vehicle in Quetta’s Margate area, police said on Friday.

Faced with increasing attacks by militants, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, security forces have also intensified counterterrorism operations.

Hanna Urak Station House Officer Naveed Akhtar told Dawn.com that the bomb disposal squad of the security forces was targeted with an improvised explosive device in a Quetta suburb.

“As a result of the explosion, four FC personnel were martyred and three others were injured,” he said.

The injured were immediately shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

The martyred included Subedar Shahzad Amin, Naib Subedar Abbas and Sepoy Khalil and Sepoy Zahid.

Among the injured were Lance Naik Zafar, Lines Naik Farooq and Sepoy Khurram Saleem.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and started a search operation for the suspects.

Separately, a statement from the Counter-Terrorism Department spokesperson said nine alleged militants, wanted by security forces in various terrorism cases, were killed in a fire exchange in Pishin’s Khanai Baba area.

It added that arms and ammunition were recovered from them.

Militant violence and security operations intensified in the country in March, with the number of militant attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (Picss).

The think tank reported 105 militant attacks during the month, resulting in 228 fatalities, including 73 security personnel, 67 civilians, and 88 militants. Additionally, 258 people were injured, comprising 129 security personnel and an equal number of civilians.

Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.

President Asif Ali Zardari “condemned the Quetta blast and expressed condolences over the loss of life”, according to a statement from the President’s House.

“The president pays tribute to martyred FC soldiers for their services in defending the country,” the statement said, adding that he reiterated the national resolve to eradicate terrorism.

“The entire nation salutes its martyrs and acknowledges their sacrifices,” it quoted President Zardari as saying.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack in Quetta.

In a post on X, the interior ministry said that the minister expressed “sympathies and condolences to the families of martyred FC soldiers”, and prayed for the recovery of injured personnel.

“The FC personnel attained the great status of martyrdom,” the post read. “We salute the sacrifice of the brave sons of FC.”

The minister also described the incident as a “heinous conspiracy” by the enemy to “create instability in the country by carrying out such cowardly acts”.

“The sacrifices of FC soldiers for the establishment of peace in Balochistan will always be remembered,” he added.