A powerful car bomb outside the headquarters of Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Corps in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 30 others on Tuesday, according to reports from the Agency. Several gunmen stormed the headquarters after the bombing, triggering a gun battle with the paramilitary, provincial Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said in televised remarks. Among those who died in the attack were soldiers and civilians, and the number of paramilitary personnel killed is yet to be known.
Quetta is the capital of restive Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. The mineral-rich region is home to Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $65 billion investment in President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China’s global reach by road, rail, and sea. Both Islamist militants and separatist insurgents, who operate in the region, have stepped up their attacks in recent months. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing so far.
