Motorcycle bomber kills 15 Pakistanis

QUETTA, Pakistan — A suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted a military truck Saturday with a bomb killing eight soldiers and seven civilians in the southwestern city of Quetta, an official and the military said.

Kabeer Khan, an explosives expert who examined the site, said after collecting forensic evidence that it was a suicide attack and that the attacker was carrying about 55 pounds of “incendiary explosives” on a motorcycle that he rammed into the military truck.

A military statement said the bomb also wounded 25 people, including 15 civilians. It said the explosives sparked fires in nearby vehicles. It added that all the victims were taken to a military hospital.

Pakistani army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa condemned the attack. He said in a statement that it was an attempt to mar the independence day festivities.

“Our resolve won’t succumb to any challenge,” Bajwa said. Sarfraz Bugti, the home minister for Baluchistan, said the blast took place near a private hospital. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Baluchistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baloch separatists groups who want a greater share of the province’s mineral and gas resources. Militant groups operating in the province have previously claimed responsibility for attacking security forces.