Car bomb explodes near a market in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing 4 and wounding 20

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A car bomb exploded near a market in Pakistan’s restive southwest, killing four people and wounding 20 others, a government official said Monday.

The attack occurred Sunday night in Qillah Abdullah, a city in Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan, said Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Riaz.

The blast also damaged the outer wall of a nearby building housing paramilitary forces, he said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

However, suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who frequently target security forces and civilians in Balochistan and other parts of the country.

Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, condemned the bombing and said an investigation is underway.

Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency in Pakistan, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019.