Curfew imposed in Mastung’s Khud Kocha after bus attack, bridge blast
Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in the Khud Kocha sub-tehsil of Mastung district on Wednesday after three people were killed and five others injured in a gun attack on a Karachi-bound passenger bus, while a bridge on the National Highway was damaged...
Authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew in Mastung district’s Khud Kocha sub-tehsil after a deadly attack on a passenger bus and a separate explosion that damaged a bridge on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway, according to a monitored public feed based on Dawn Home.
The Balochistan Home Department ordered the curfew from 9pm on Wednesday, citing the worsening security situation in the area. Home Department spokesperson Babar Yousafzai said the restrictions would remain in place until further orders in the interest of peace and public safety. Under the order, residents were told not to leave their homes, and unnecessary movement was barred. Yousafzai warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone violating the curfew and urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and cooperate with authorities.
The curfew followed a gun attack in the Garo area of Khud Kocha tehsil, where police said a Karachi-bound passenger coach operated by a private transport company came under indiscriminate fire. Armed men positioned on nearby mountains opened fire on the bus while it was travelling from Quetta to Karachi. Three passengers were killed and five others injured in the assault.
Security forces and rescue teams reached the scene soon after the attack. The bodies and injured passengers were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Mastung. Officials later handed over the bodies to the victims’ families after completing legal formalities, while an investigation into the attack was launched and a search began for the assailants.
Traffic on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway was also disrupted for several hours after a bridge in the Khud Kocha area was damaged in an explosion. Police said miscreants had planted explosives under the bridge in the Anjari area and detonated them in the early hours of Wednesday. No casualties were reported in the blast, but the bridge was badly damaged, forcing a suspension of all traffic on the highway.
Long queues of buses, goods trucks and other vehicles were reported on both sides of the road after the explosion. By evening, authorities allowed small vehicles to pass after making alternative arrangements. Security forces later moved into the area and started a search operation.
The developments came as security forces reported a separate series of operations in Mastung and Surab districts over the previous 48 hours, during which they said 10 terrorists were killed and two female suicide bombers, along with their facilitator, were arrested.
Earlier this month, security officials also launched Operation Shaban in Balochistan after a deadly attack in Ziarat. The latest violence comes against the backdrop of a broader rise in security incidents in the province.
This report is based on a monitored public feed. Source attribution: Dawn Home.
Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017589/curfew-imposed-in-mastungs-khud-kocha-after-bus-attack-bridge-blast
