2024 Quetta railway station bombing

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2024 Quetta railway station bombing
Part of the insurgency in Balochistan
Quetta railway station bombing.jpg
A CCTV still of the bombing
Location Quetta railway station, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Coordinates 30°11′30″N67°0′3″E / 30.19167°N 67.00083°E / 30.19167; 67.00083
Date9 November 2024
c. 8:25 a.m. (UTC+05:00)
TargetCivilians
Attack type
Suicide bombing
Weapons Explosives
Deaths32 (including the perpetrator)
Injured62 [1] [2]
Perpetrators Balochistan Liberation Army
AssailantMuhammad Rafiq Bizenjo 
Motive Baloch nationalism

On 9 November 2024, at least 32 people were killed and 62 others were injured in a suicide bombing at Quetta railway station in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. [3] [4] The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack. [5] [2] It was the first time that the BLA had attacked the centre of Quetta. [6]

Contents

Background

The Quetta railway station in 2023 Quetta Railway Station 3.jpg
The Quetta railway station in 2023

The Quetta Railway Station is a major transport hub in Quetta and one of the largest stations in the province of Balochistan. [7]

Attack

At around 8:25 a.m., a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device on a crowded platform near the ticket office in the station, where around 150 to 200 people were waiting to board a train travelling to Rawalpindi. The explosion damaged the platform's roof and destroyed a tea stall. At least 32 people were killed, including soldiers and railway employees, and another 62 were injured. Several of the victims were taken to the hospital in critical condition. [2] [6] [3]

The Balochistan Liberation Army, an ethnic secessionist group designated as a terrorist organization by China, [8] the European Union, [9] Iran, [10] Pakistan, [11] Russia, [12] United Kingdom, [13] and the United States, [14] [15] issued a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing saying it was carried out by the group's Majeed Brigade. [16] The group said that it targeted soldiers, which the inspector-general of police in Balochistan, Moazzam Jah Ansari, described as being from the "Infantry School". [2] [17] The Counter Terrorism Department reported that the bomber had carried 8–10 kilograms (18–22 lb) of explosive material inside a bag. [1] [18]

Casualties

Thirty-two people, including the perpetrator, were killed in the bombing, and 62 others were injured. [19] The bomber's remains were sent for DNA testing for identification. Twenty-four of the victims were transferred to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and 13 to the Trauma Centre. Hospital officials stated that 25 injured patients were initially treated and discharged. [1]

Perpetrator

On 10 November 2024, the Balochistan Liberation Army released a photo of the bomber and identified him as Muhammad Rafiq Bizenjo. Bizenjo joined the BLA in 2017 under the alias "Washen" and volunteered for a suicide attack in 2023. He joined and trained with the Majeed Brigade for over a year. [20] [21]

Aftermath

Two trains at the railway station, the Jaffar Express and the Bolan Mail , were suspended for four days after the bombing due to security concerns. [22]

The Balochistan government declared three days of mourning from 11 to 13 November while security measures across Quetta were significantly increased. [23]

Reactions

The attack was condemned by Balochistan chief minister Sarfraz Bugti, National Assembly of Pakistan speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, [18] and Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with the foreign ministries of Afghanistan, [2] Iran, [24] Sri Lanka, [25] the United Arab Emirates, [26] [27] Jordan, [28] the State of Palestine, [29] and Turkey, and the US mission to Pakistan. [30] World leaders and diplomats including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, [31] United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott [32] conveyed their condolences and condemned the attack. [33]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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