QUETTA: At least four people were killed and 20 others injured, eight of them seriously, in a car bomb blast took place at a commercial market adjacent to the fort of Frontier Corps in Gulistan area of Qila Abdullah, a bordering district with Afghanistan, late on Sunday evening.

Officials said that the Jabbar commercial market, located on Quetta-Chaman National Highway in Gulistan town, was targeted with a powerful explosion that not only destroyed many shops and vehicles parked in the area but also damaged the back wall of the FC fort. The shops caught fire after the blast.

Heavy exchange of fire took place between FC personnel and unknown armed men after the explosion, which continued for some time. However, no casualty of FC was reported.

Sources claimed that the target was allegedly a pro-government tribal elder Faizullah Ghabizai who was present in the market when the car exploded. However, Ghabizai elder remained safe in the blast but his guards were killed and injured in the explosion.

The district administration has confirmed four deaths and over 20 injured. “Four people have been killed and over 20 injured in the blast,” Muhammad Riaz Khan Dawar, Deputy Com­missioner Qila Abdullah said, adding that an IED fitted car was used for the explosion. It seems the car was detonated with remote control.

“Apparently, the attacker wanted to attack the back wall of the FC fort which is adjacent to the commercial market,” Mr. Dawar said, adding that after the huge blast heavy firing took place between the personnel of FC and attackers. He further said that eight injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta while others were admitted in district hospital Qila Abdullah and Gulistan.

The bodies were also shifted to the hospital and were not identified so far. Levies were investigating the incident. The security has been beefed up in Qila Abdullah and Chaman after the blast deploying more security personnel.

Meanwhile, the banned TTP has claimed attacking the FC front and said that heavy fighting took place in the area with the security forces.

Three killed in separate attacks

Three people were killed in two separate firing incidents in Panjgur district on Sunday, police said.

Unidentified assailants attacked a private security post in the Gomazin area during the night between Saturday and Sunday. Levies officials said that the attackers opened fire, killing two men identified as Mulla Amir and Amanullah, both residents of Chitkan area of Panjgur.

The assailants also torched a vehicle at the site before fleeing the scene. Levies forces have launched an investigation into the attack.

In another incident in the Zandain Das area of Panjgur, unidentified gunmen called a man named Waheed out of his house and shot him dead. The suspects fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

Meanwhile, a man was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in the Tamboo Babakot area of Naseerabad district on Sunday, police said.

They said that the shooting took place near Goth Saleem Lehri within the jurisdiction of Tamboo Babakot Police Station. The victim, identified as Muhammad Anwar, belonged to the Mohammad Hassani tribe, died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Behram Baloch and Ali Jan Mangi also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2025