Bomb attack kills 22 pilgrims in SW Pakistan

At least 22 Shia pilgrims returning from Iran are killed when a powerful bomb explosion hit their bus in the restive Balochistan Province in southwest Pakistan.

The deadly bomb attack took place at Dringhar village on the Pakistan-Iran highway some 60 kilometers west of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province.

Sources say at least 51 passengers were onboard at the time of the blast. At least twenty pilgrims have been injured as the result of the fatal explosion.

“At least 22 people were killed and 20 others were wounded,” media outlets quoted a local security official as saying.

The fate of nine other passengers is still unclear due to the extent of carnage caused by the blast.

In a similar attack on January 1st, several people were killed when a bomb targeted a bus carrying Shia pilgrims.

Every year, millions of Muslim pilgrims flock to the holy shrines in the Iranian cities of Mashhad and Qom.

Pro-Taliban groups have launched a violent campaign against Shia Muslims and several Shia religious gatherings have been targeted in different parts of the country over the past few months.

Shia Muslims in Pakistan say the government must take decisive action against the forces involved in the targeted killings, accusing Islamabad of failing to provide security for the Muslim community.

The killing of Shias has caused an international outrage, with rights groups and regional countries expressing concern over the ongoing deadly violence.

Shias make up about a third of Pakistan’s population of over 180 million.