Motorcycle suicide bomber kills 15 people in Pakistan

Burning vehicles after bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan on Sunday. Photograph: Naseer Ahmed/Reuters

A suicide bomber on a motorcycle has targeted a military truck with a bomb killing eight soldiers and seven civilians in the south-western city of Quetta, Pakistani officials have 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 some 25kg 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,” Gen Bajwa said.