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A LOCAL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, YASIR IQBAL, SAID THE ATTACK TOOK PLACE IN THE DISTRICT OF KHUZDAR AS THE BUS WAS TRANSPORTING CHILDREN TO A MILITARY-RUN SCHOOL IN THE CITY. Quetta: At least

five people, including three children, were killed and 38 others were injured after a suicide car bomber struck a school bus in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, the Associated Press

reported, citing officials. Yasir Iqbal, a local deputy commissioner, said that the attack took place in Balochistan province's Khuzdar district when the bus was taking children to the

school. Officials said they fear that the death toll may rise further as several children are listed in critical condition. Security forces quickly arrived at the site and sealed off the

area as ambulances rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. Local news channels broadcast visuals showing the extensively damaged bus and debris strewn across the scene. NO GROUP HAS CLAIMED 

RESPONSIBILITY YET No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatist groups, who have a history of targeting both

security forces and civilians in the region. Most of the attacks in the province are claimed by the BLA. In one of the deadliest such attacks, BLA insurgents killed 33 people, mostly

soldiers, during an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan in March. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident in the strongest terms,

expressing profound grief over the death of the children. He labeled the attackers as "beasts" undeserving of any mercy and described the assault as an act of "sheer

barbarism" for deliberately targeting innocent lives. DETERIORATING SECURITY SITUATION IN BALOCHISTAN Balochistan has long been an epicenter for separatist violence and terrorist

incidents. The recent attack in Khuzdar marks the second major strike in the area within a week, intensifying concerns over the region's security. The ongoing violence has heightened

threats to the safety of common citizens. In response, local authorities and security forces have launched efforts to identify those responsible and are thoroughly investigating the

incident. Security measures have been tightened across the region, with additional personnel deployed to maintain order and prevent further attacks. _(WITH AP INPUTS)_ ALSO READ: PAKISTANI

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