Roadside bomb targeting troops kills 2 in southwest Pakistan

A powerful roadside bomb targeting security forces killed two soldiers in southwest Pakistan, the mi­litary said Thursday, a sign of increasing violence in the region.

The overnight attack happened in Pasni, a district in the impoverished Baluchistan province, according to a military statement.

It said a search operation was still underway to arrest those who orchestrated the bombing.

It provided no further details and only said hostile intelligence forces were behind the violence.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but previous such attacks on security forces have been blamed on small separatist groups that have been carrying out a long-running insurgency demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad.

The Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group also have a presence in Baluchistan.

Although Pakistan says it has quelled insurgency in Baluchistan, such attacks on troops have increased in recent months in the province which shares a long border with Iran and Afghanistan.