Suicide Bomber Kills 26 At Pakistan Railway Station 

Queta -- A suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in restive southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 26 people, including soldiers and railway staff, and wounding about 62 others, some critically, officials said.

The explosion on Saturday happened as nearly 100 passengers waited on a platform at about 8:45am local time (03:45 GMT) in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, for a train to Peshawar.

 More than a dozen soldiers and six railway employees were among the dead at the station and 62 people were wounded, many of whom were in critical condition, said Wasim Baig, a Balochistan health department official.

Pakistan's largest and poorest province, resource-rich Balochistan, is home to separatist armed groups and has been a frequent target of deadly attacks. The province borders Afghanistan and Iran. 

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that a suicide bomber targeted troops present at the railway station.

The outlawed BLA has long waged an armed rebellion seeking independence from Islamabad. It is the biggest of several ethnic rebel groups battling the government, claiming it unfairly exploits the province's gas and mineral resources.

When asked about a security breach that led to the bombing, Shafqaat told reporters that "it is usually very difficult to stop such suicide attacks." 

However, Shahid Nawaz, who is in charge of security at Quetta's train station, insisted there was no breach as the attacker was disguised as a passenger and blew himself up among people at the station. 

TV footage showed the steel structure of the platform's roof blown apart and a destroyed tea stall. Luggage was strewn everywhere. Most of the victims were taken to a state-owned hospital and some to a military one.

Saturday's assault came a little over a week after a powerful bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers assigned to protect polio workers in the province, killing nine people, including five children who were nearby.  

In August, the BLA carried out multiple coordinated attacks on passengers, buses, police and security forces across Balochistan, killing more than 50 people, mostly civilians.  

The BLA mostly targets security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese nationals who are in Pakistan as part of Beijing's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which is working on major infrastructure projects. The group often demands the halt of all Chinese-funded projects and for workers to leave Pakistan to avoid further attacks.  

Last month, the BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside Karachi airport, killing two. Beijing has asked Pakistan to ensure the safety of its citizens working in Balochistan and other parts of the country.

Iran, which is facing similar terrorist threats in its part of Balochistan, has strongly condemned the blast at Quetta railway station, reiterating Tehran's readiness for bilateral cooperation to counter terrorism.

An Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Tehran on Saturday that such terrorist attacks are in violation of all legal and human rights principles and rules and are "not acceptable at all."

Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry also condemned the bombing and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims, as did the Russian Embassy in Islamabad.