Fifteen were injured in the attack in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan.
At least four people have been killed after a bomb attack targeted a police vehicle in the western Pakistani city of Quetta.
“A police vehicle was targeted in Qandhari Bazar area of the city. Among the dead, two are police officials whereas one girl and another civilian died,” Waseem Baig, spokesman for the Civil Hospital in the city, told Al Jazeera on Monday, adding that 15 people were injured.
Mitha Khan, a police officer present at the hospital, told Al Jazeera that the “target vehicle belonged to a senior police officer who was on his way to one of the police stations. The senior officer was not hurt, but his driver and gunman died in the attack”.
The initial investigation revealed that four to five kilograms (nine to 11 pounds) of explosives were placed on a motorcycle, which was detonated by remote control, said Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) spokesman Zohaib Mohsin Baloch.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the AFP news agency.
The BLA said two policemen were killed for their involvement “in the inhumane treatment of Baloch civilians under the pretext of investigations”.
This is the second attack on Pakistani police in less than 24 hours.
On Sunday evening, gunmen targeted the Police Eagle Squad personnel in Quetta, killing two policemen and injuring another. One of the attackers was killed by the police.
Monday’s attack came just days after Pakistan’s top intelligence agency arrested a “high-value target” in an operation against a Baloch rebel group in the province.
In a statement on Friday, the military said the target – Gulzar Imam, also known as Shambay – was the founder and leader of the outlawed Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA), which, according to the army, was involved in twelve- dozens of “terrorist” attacks in the country, including on security forces.
Balochistan province, rich in natural resources and located on the border of Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of an insurgency by Baloch separatists for more than 20 years.
Nationalist groups demanded that resources be shared, and within two decades initiated a movement for full independence.
Also on Friday, a statement from the prime minister’s office said the National Security Committee (NSC) had agreed to launch a nationwide military operation due to rising security concerns.
“The [NSC] the meeting agreed to launch an all-out comprehensive operation with the [the participation of the] entire country and government to rid the country of the threat of terrorism,” said a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The last major operation launched to counter armed groups was in 2014, which resulted in the displacement of more than a million people while hundreds were killed.
In the past few months, Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in attacks on its security forces by the Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP) after it unilaterally ended a ceasefire agreement with the government in November last year.
This year, the group and its factions have unleashed a wave of attacks including a suicide bombing at a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar that killed more than 100 people, mostly police.
Additional reporting by Syed Abid Hussain in Islamabad.
