7 paramilitary troops killed, 43 injured in suspected suicide bombing in southwest Pakistan

At least seven paramilitary troops were killed and 43 others injured in a suspected suicide bombing in southwest Pakistan on Sunday.

The bombing targeted a convoy of Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force, in the remote Noshki district of southwestern Balochistan province, which touches neighboring Afghanistan and Iran, local English daily Balochistan Express reported, citing a police officer.

Initial investigations suggest the incident was a suicide attack, Zafarullah Sumalani, a local police chief, said.

Sumalani said the evidence from the site of the attack suggested that a suicide attacker rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the Frontier Corps convoy.

In a statement, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed and condemned the incident.

Officials fear a rise in the death toll as the condition of several injured at Noshki Civil Hospital was stated to be critical.

There was no official word on the number of casualties or their identity.

Footage aired on local broadcaster Geo News showed a badly charred bus lying on the roadside with a military troop standing nearby.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the loss of life.

"Those who play with the peace of Balochistan will be brought to a tragic end," Bugti said in an official press release.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan has seen a fresh wave of violence targeting parts of Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Heavily-armed assailants loyal to the Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, hijacked a passenger train in the Bolan region of Balochistan earlier this week, killing 26 passengers and five troops. Some 33 suspected militants were also killed in a day-long security operation by the Pakistan Army.

In another terrorist attack, two policemen and a private security guard were killed in separate overnight attacks in Karak and Peshawar districts, police said Sunday.

In a statement to local media, Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan, a conglomerate of several militant networks operating in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attacks.