Islamabad:

The Islamic State Group has claimed a bomb explosion that targeted police in Pakistan’s southwest, martyring to three policemen and wounded more than a dozen.

A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle on Tuesday targeted a passing bus with 40 policemen in Mastung, Balochistan, where security forces have been fighting for violence for decades.

In a statement late Tuesday, the group’s regional branch, Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which often performs attacks on security forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan claimed that its “soldiers” targeted police.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in violence in his regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the bombing and expressed deep grief over the loss of precious life.