DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A bomb blast late Saturday night in the Kolachi area of Dera Ismail Khan martyred five people, including four Balochistan Levies personnel, officials confirmed Sunday.
Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Akram said the explosion occurred when a vehicle carrying the Levies personnel was struck by a bomb. The blast caused the vehicle to catch fire, killing all five persons.
The victims were identified as Noor Ahmed Kakar, a senior Naib Risaldar of the Balochistan Levies Force, and three sepoys — Rasheed Zaman, Dawood Khan, and Bilal Ahmed — along with a civilian driver whose identity was not immediately released.
According to officials, the Levies personnel from Khanozai in Balochistan were en route to Dera Ismail Khan to receive a stolen truck recovered by local police. The truck had been reported stolen from Khanozai on Jan 13.
The Levies team was traveling in a private vehicle when unidentified attackers targeted them near Kolachi, Akram said. Authorities were investigating the incident. The mission turned fatal when unidentified attackers detonated a bomb near the vehicle before it reached its destination.
The authorities were set to shift bodies to Balochistan. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
The Balochistan Levies is a paramilitary force responsible for maintaining law and order in Balochistan province. The force often faces threats from militant groups and criminal gangs operating in the region.
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