Suicide blast at Pakistan-Afghanistan border kills child and injures a dozen others

A 12-year-old boy was killed and nearly 12 others were severely wounded on Monday (18 September) when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan — an area near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The attack was reportedly claimed by Majlis-e-Abrar, a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The group has carried out several low-intensity blasts in the border region in the recent past.

The attacker reportedly targeted a paramilitary vehicle at the border crossing area, but the vehicle sped away and some civilians passing by the road were caught in the explosion, District Police Officer Abdul Hayee Baloch and administration official Qaiser Khan Nasir told Pakistan's Dawn News .

Three of the injured are said to be in a critical condition. All the wounded were taken to Civil Hospital in Chaman, the officer added.

A senior administration official speaking to the newspaper added that their men recovered severed body parts of a suspected suicide attacker during an initial sweep of the blast area.

The site has been cordoned off and security has been tightened along the border. Authorities were investigating the attack.

Chaman is reportedly a sensitive town in Balochistan as it shares a border with Afghanistan's restive Kandahar province. The area has witnessed several attacks in the recent past that prompted Pakistani and Afghan officials to hold a meeting to address security concerns.

The meeting was convened a week ago in Kabul where officials from both countries agreed to formulate an action plan involving enhanced cooperation.

However, two explosions were reported in the area a day after the meeting. At least six Frontier Constabulary personnel and a child in Pakistan were injured in the blast.