This file photo shows the site of a bomb blast on the outskirts of Quetta.
A powerful bomb explosion has killed a 13-year-old girl and wounded over 20 other people in the troubled southwestern Pakistan, security officials say.
Pakistani local security officials said the blast occurred outside a shopping center on Wednesday in Mastung district, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police officials put the blame on pro-Taliban militants or some Baloch insurgent groups, who have carried out similar assaults in the past.
The attack comes a day after a group of heavily-armed gunmen opened fire on passenger buses at a fake checkpoint in the Province, killing at least 14 people and injuring several others. The deadly attack happened in the Mach area of Bolan district, 70 kilometers (44 miles) southeast of the provincial capital Quetta.
On June 15, heavily armed militants bombed a bus carrying female university students in Quetta, leaving 14 students dead and 19 others wounded. About 90 minutes later, the militants attacked the hospital treating the survivors from the bus bombing, killing 11 more citizens and injuring 17 people.
In the past few months, militants have destroyed dozens of gas pipelines and power towers in different parts of Balochistan.
Some Baloch militant groups say they want greater political autonomy and a share of the province’s natural resources.
Militants have carried out numerous attacks against security forces as well as civilians and managed to spread their influence in various regions of the country, despite frequent offensives by the Pakistani army.
Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001, when Pakistan entered an alliance with the US in the so-called war on terrorism.
JR/KA
Republished from: Press TV