17 killed as militants bomb train in southwest Pakistan

At least 17 people were killed and 46 others injured in abomb attack on Rawalpindi-bound Jaffar Express at Sibi Railway Station insouthwest Pakistan. Five children were believed to be among the dead.The passenger train was heading towards Rawalpindi from Quetta. The bomb wasset off as the train pulledtoastopandpassengers were disembarking at Sibistation, around 160km (100 miles) south of Quetta, the provincial capital.“The area was packed with people when the blast occurred,” Deputy InspectorGeneral Qazi Hussain said.Rescue workers, fire tenders, police and security forces rushed to the station andshifted the injured and dead to Civil Hospital Sibi. The fire tenders brought the fireunder control after 40 minutes of struggle. A state of emergency was imposed at the city hospitals to cope with the situation after the blast.Some passengers were carrying gas cylinders which also exploded along with thebomb planted inside the bogie causing a huge fire.Police investigators said around 20 kilograms of explosive material was used in theblast. “The fire was huge and burnt everything to ashes. Everything inside the bogieand on the track was burnt to ashes,” police officer Qazi Hussain added.The blast came a day after security forces said they had killed 30 militants in one ofthe biggest clashes in months in Kalat city.The separatist United Baluch Army claimed responsibility, saying in a text messagethat the bombing was retaliation for the raids by security forces. The United BaluchArmy (UBA) spokesman warned of more such attacks in the coming days in responseto a major military operation against militants that began on Monday in Kalat.