A powerful remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast struck Pakistan's Jaffar Express passenger train on Tuesday, resulting in injuries and derailing multiple coaches. Official sources have confirmed that seven passengers were injured in the attack, which occurred near the Sultan Kot railway station in the Shikarpur district, close to the Sindh-Balochistan border. Early reports do not confirm any fatalities from the explosion itself.
The train, which runs between Quetta in Balochistan and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was hit by the IED, causing four bogies to overturn, according to a senior police officer quoted by Arab News. The injured passengers were immediately moved to a hospital, where all are reported to be in stable condition. Shikarpur Police confirmed that the blast damaged the track and forced the coaches off the rails.
The Balochistan Republican Guards (BRG), an armed separatist group, claimed responsibility for the bombing. In a statement widely circulated, the group asserted that the train was targeted because Pakistani Army personnel were traveling on board, and they claimed that several soldiers were killed and injured in the explosion. This is the latest in a series of attacks on the vital train route, which frequently comes under fire from Baloch militant groups. Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar has directed the police to launch an immediate investigation into the incident. The Jaffar Express has been the target of at least seven attacks this year alone, highlighting the persistent security challenges in the region.
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