At least four Pakistani security personnel were killed and three others injured on Friday when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near their vehicle in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan.

According to local authorities, the explosion occurred as security forces were attempting to defuse the device in the Margate area. The wounded were immediately transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, officials suspect the involvement of Baloch separatist groups, which frequently target both civilians and military forces in the region.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the attack, praising the sacrifices of the soldiers in the fight to restore peace and stability across the country.

Balochistan has long been plagued by a low-intensity insurgency led by separatist groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. The United States designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organization in 2019.