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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Roadside Bomb Kills Two Pakistani Soldiers Near Afghan Border

A Pakistani soldier stands guard at Pak-Afghan border after it remain closed due to coronavirus, in Chaman, Pakistan, 20 March 2020. Reports state the number of cases infected with coronavirus Covid-19 in Pakistan increased to 478. EPA/AKHTAR GULFAM

A roadside bomb exploded near a Pakistani paramilitary vehicle in restive southwestern Baluchistan province Friday killing two soldiers who were clearing the area for fencing the border with Afghanistan, two intelligence officials said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Two other persons were also wounded in the blast near the Chaman border, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media on the record.

Pakistan says it is fencing the border to stop the movement of militants, The Associated Press reported.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are divided by the 2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) Durand Line, drawn by British rulers in 1896. Kabul does not recognize it as an international border, causing friction between the two neighbors.

Baluchistan province has also been the scene of a low-level insurgency by small separatists groups who have been demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region’s natural resources, such as gas and oil.

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