A powerful blast took place near the Musa security check post in Baloch capital Quetta on Sunday afternoon. The blast injured five people and reportedly look place near the Quetta cantonment.

Pakistani newspaper Dawn reports that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Pakistan Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the blast. A TTP statement said that security officials were targeted in the blast.

Breaking News : Huge blast in Quetta near FC Mussa Check Point #Quetta Balochistan pic.twitter.com/MDMmLR8mj5

— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) February 5, 2023

Quetta was under intense security cover due to a T20 Pakistan Super League (PSL) match being played between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators. The match was stopped after people hurled stones inside the stadium. Some reports say that the match was stopped due to the bomb blast.

Pakistani media reports say the blast might have killed some people. The blast was so powerful that it was heard throughout the capital city.  The injured have been rushed to the Benazir Shaheed hospital for treatment.

This was the third attack by the TTP against Pakistani security forces in barely a week.

This attack follows a landmine explosion and ambush on the Pakistani Coast Guard by Baloch rebels a day earlier in the Jiwani area of Gwadar district. On Saturday, Baloch rebels fired on Pakistani Coast Guard personnel after their vehicle hit a landmine, killing one soldier and injuring seven.

The Baloch nationalists have attacked Pakistani forces at several places in the last couple of days.

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The #Taliban & the #Baloch nationalists are bleeding #Pakistan with a thousand cuts. A strategy #Pakistan’s had devised for #India. @indianarrative @merijaanindia @myogiadityanath @रिपब्लिक_भारत @piyushgoyal Https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/how-the-ttp-bleeds-pakistan-with-a-thousand-cuts-103194.html

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– Rahul (@Rahulkumarindia) 5 Feb 2023

Last Monday, Pakistan was rocked after the TTP carried out a massive suicide bombing in a Peshawar mosque killing 101 people during afternoon prayers. The attack took place in the highly-guarded police lines area of Peshawar, proving the TTP’s resolve to take on Pakistani security forces after it waged an all out war against the government.

Pakistani forces have been under consistent attack by TTP militants as well as Baloch nationalists, making a large territory of Pakistan unsafe for Pakistani security personnel.

Also Read: Afghan-Pak rift widens after deadly Peshawar suicide bombing