Collected photo

QUETTA, Pakistan, Sept 30, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Militants detonated a car full of 
explosives outside a border force headquarters in southwestern Pakistan's 
Balochistan province on Tuesday, killing six civilians and four troops.

CCTV images shared with media show an open-backed van turning into the 
entrance of the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters in the city of Quetta before 
the explosion.

"The suicide bomber riding in a Suzuki van detonated the device, while five 
of his accomplices tried to enter into compound afterwards," said a senior 
local government official who requested anonymity.

"In an exchange of fire all attackers were killed, while four FC personnel 
and six civilians also died."

No group has claimed the assault.

However, Baloch separatists have been waging an increasingly deadly 
insurgency in the region, while the Pakistani Taliban are also carrying out 
regular attacks on security forces.

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and most resource-rich province, but also 
its poorest, and regularly ranks among the lowest on human development 
indicator scorecards.

Baloch separatists claim to be fighting to end discrimination against the 
Baloch people on their land.

Pakistani forces have been battling an insurgency in the province for more 
than a decade, and in 2024 the region saw a sharp rise in violence, with 782 
people killed.

The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) reported 521 terrorist 
attacks in the country in 2024, and 567 this year.

Much of the violence is limited to the border regions with Afghanistan.

Amir Rana, president of PIPS told AFP that "there has been an increase of 
trend when it comes to terrorist attacks so far this year, especially in 
Balochistan".

On Monday night, nine soldiers were killed by a blast in the northwest of the 
country, a senior administrative officer stationed in Upper South Waziristan 
told AFP.