Bombing hits security convoy in SW Pakistan, kills 5 troops

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) - A roadside bomb targeted a security convoy in southwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least five soldiers and wounding 28 people, mostly policemen, authorities said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in the district of Sibi, in Baluchistan province. Wazir Murree, a local police official, said rescuers transported the dead and wounded to hospitals, where an emergency was declared. He said some of wounded were in critical condition.

Local media said the bombing happened near an open area where an annual cultural show was being held. Earlier in the day, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi attended the festival. The targeted convoy was part of the security deployment surrounding Alvi's visit. The bombing took place hours after he had left the area.

Baluchistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency by various Baluch secessionist groups that for decades have staged attacks on security forces and police to press their demands for independence.

Although authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence has continued in the province. Local militants and sleeper cells of the Islamic State group also have a presence there.

Last week, an Islamic State suicide bomber struck inside a Shiite Muslim mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar during Friday prayers, killing at least 63 worshippers and wounding nearly 200 people.