Blast kills five Pakistani troops in Balochistan province

At least five Pakistan soldiers were killed when their vehicle was hit by a bomb blast following a clash with militants in southwestern Balochistan province, the military said Sunday.

The incident happened Saturday in Kech district of the turbulent province, where the military has been fighting a low-level insurgency for decades.

"Terrorists exploded an Improvised Explosive Device on a security forces' vehicle, which was followed by an intense fire exchange," the military said in a statement.

"During the operation, five brave soldiers, having fought gallantly, sacrificed their lives and embraced Shahadat (martyrdom)," it added.

Three militants were also killed in the clash, it said.

The South Asian nation of more than 240 million people votes on February 8 in a general election as it grapples with overlapping security, economic and political crises.

No group has claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, but ethnic Baloch separatists have been waging an insurgency for years in the region, which is also riven by Islamist and sectarian violence.

Balochistan is also a major part of a Beijing-backed multi-billion-dollar infrastructure drive known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Baloch separatists have also previously claimed attacks on CPEC projects, and thousands of Pakistan security personnel are deployed in the region to counter the violence.

Agence France-Presse