A week after a deadly bomb attack in a mosque, the Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for another attack on a security convoy in southwestern Pakistan early Tuesday. According to a monitoring group, at least five soldiers were killed and dozens injured.
Pakistani police said a roadside bomb caused the explosion in Baluchistan province, but the claim of responsibility cites a Daesh suicide bomber carrying out the attack, according to the United States-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant messaging.
The conflicting reports could not be immediately explained.
It was the second attack in less than a week claimed by the Daesh's regional affiliate known as Daesh-Khorasan Province. The militant group is headquartered in neighboring Afghanistan.
Last week, a Daesh suicide bomber targeted a Shiite mosque during Friday prayers in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 63 worshippers and wounding nearly 200.
In Tuesday's attack in the district of Sibi, police also said that 28 people, mostly police officers, were wounded. Wazir Murree, a local police official, said rescuers transported the dead and wounded to hospitals, where an emergency was declared. He said some of the wounded were in critical condition.
Local media said the bombing happened near an open area where an annual cultural show was being held. Earlier in the day, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi attended the festival. The targeted convoy was part of the security deployment surrounding Alvi's visit. The bombing took place hours after he had left the area.
Baluchistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency by various Baluch secessionist groups that have staged attacks on security forces and police to press their demands for independence for decades.
Although authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence has continued in the province. Local militants and the Daesh also have a presence there.
According to the claim of responsibility, the attacker was a Pakistani national who “detonated his explosive vest amid a gathering of soldiers and police officials," SITE said.
