At least nine police officers were killed and 16 others injured Monday in a suicide attack on a bus they were traveling in in southwestern Pakistan, police in the Asian country said.

“The suicide bomber was riding a motorcycle and crashed into the back of the bus,” said local police spokesman Abdul Hai Amir.

The attack took place in the city of Dadar in the Kutchi district, about 120 km southeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

Several paramilitaries have been killed after a suicide bomber allegedly rammed his motorcycle into a truck in the Pakistani province of Balochistan ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/duls1io9hX

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 6, 2023

The death toll could rise as eight of the injured are in critical condition.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on police officers in Pakistan. No organization has yet claimed responsibility.

Balochistan is a large, poor and sparsely populated province of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and Iran. The province is rich in hydrocarbons and minerals, but its nearly 12 million people complain that the Pakistani government has isolated them and is stealing the region’s natural resources.

For many years it has been the scene of violent conflicts between various ethnic and religious groups. In the region, the police are often targeted by local insurgent groups or the Pakistani Taliban.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.