Bomb kills 3 oil company employees in southwestern Pakistan

Pakistani police say a bomb detonated by remote control killed three workers doing a survey for a local oil exploration company in the country's southwest.

Local police official Mohammad Hussain says today's bombing near the town of Dera Bugti in the Baluchistan province also wounded five surveyors.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but small nationalist groups and separatists have claimed previous such attacks in the province. Islamic militants also have a strong presence in Baluchistan.

The latest violence came a day after assailants ambushed a convoy of paramilitary troops, killing six of them in the Awaran district of Baluchistan. No group has claimed that attack either.

 

Baluch separatists have staged attacks for years, demanding a larger share of provincial resources and wealth or complete autonomy from Islamabad.