Roadside bomb targeting security convoy kills 3 in Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan – Pakistani police say a roadside bomb has exploded near a security convoy in the country’s southwest, killing three security personnel.

Local police official Mohammad Azmat says Friday’s attack took place near the town of Pashi, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Pakistani militants and small nationalist groups have been blamed for previous such attacks in Baluchistan. Separatist groups also often target security forces in a bid to get a larger share of provincial resources and wealth or outright autonomy from Islamabad.

Pakistan’s government claims it has quelled the insurgency, but violence has continued.