20 Oct 2017 | 12:32 PM UTC
Pakistan: Twin grenade attacks in Baluchistan province Oct. 19
38 injured in twin blasts in Baluchistan’s Mastung and Gwadar districts on October 19
Event
Two separate grenade attacks carried out just minutes apart injured 38 people in the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan on Thursday evening, October 19. The first attack occurred in Baluchistan’s Mastung district, where two men on a motorcycle threw a hand grenade into a crowd. The second took place as two other men, also on a motorcycle, threw a hand grenade at the Al-Zubair Hotel in Gwadar district. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.
Context
These incidents come one day after a suicide bomber attacked a police truck in Quetta, also located in Baluchistan province, killing seven and injuring 22 others. No group has claimed responsibility for that attack either.
Terrorist activities in Pakistan are common and predominantly target security forces in the restive and under-developed Baluchistan province. The most active terrorist group is the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban. The province is reportedly also a sanctuary for the most prominent leaders of the Afghan Taliban, who reportedly enjoy the protection of the Pakistan military intelligence services (Inter-Services Intelligence, ISI). However, the TTP, the Islamic State of Syria and Levant-Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP) and other Baloch separatist movements, nevertheless carry out regular attacks against government and security installations. In June 2017, a suicide attack on a police checkpoint in Quetta, claimed by TTP-affiliated Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, killed at least 12 people and wounded 14 others. In October 2016, ISIL-KP claimed an attack on a police training college in Quetta in which at least 61 soldiers were killed.
Advice
Due to the high threat of terrorism and other forms of violent crime, individuals in Pakistan are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities (their diplomatic mission or security manager). As a reminder, all Western embassies in Pakistan advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country. Travel to the country should only be considered with proper security protocols in place.
