Turkey condemns 'heinous' terror attack in Pakistan

ANKARA Turkish Foreign Ministry late Tuesday condemned the suicide blast in southwestern Balochistan province in Pakistan that left seven people dead and 15 others injured. In a written statement issued, the ministry described the attack as "heinous". “We learned with deep sorrow that an attack perpetrated in Quetta, capital of the Balochistan province of Pakistan, in the vicinity of the Provincial Assembly today killed and wounded Pakistani brothers and sisters, including security officers. “We wish Allah’s mercy on those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the wounded while conveying our condolences to the government and brotherly people of Pakistan,” it said. A suspected suicide bomber detonated himself up near a police patrolling vehicle in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan, police said. The suspected bomber, who acted alone, targeted a patrolling truck at busy Zargoon road- just 300 meters away from state assembly building-, provincial police chief, Moazzam jah Ansari told reporters. The dead included five policemen, Ansari said adding that various injured had received life-threatening wounds. The attack occurred hours after resignation of the provincial chief minister following a no-confidence move by the opposition Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of several militant groups operating in Pakistan, in a statement, claimed responsibility for the suicide attack -- the latest in a string of similar incidents in recent past. The large Baluchistan province, which is also considered to cover parts of neighboring Iran and Afghanistan, is strategically important because of the rich presence of copper, zinc and natural gas but it has been beset by violence for over six decades, with separatists claiming that it was forcibly incorporated into Pakistan at the end of British rule in 1947. Outlawed militant groups like the TTP, and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have mostly been involved in attacks on security forces in recent years. The province, especially its capital Quetta, has also been facing a deadly wave of sectarian violence over the last one decade. Over 2,000 people -- mostly Shias -- have been killed in targeted attacks and suicide bombings in Quetta and other parts of the province in last 10 years.