Pakistan security forces foil suicide attack in Quetta

Officials have said a suicide bomber was shot down before he could detonate himself.

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Pakistan's security forces on Thursday foiled a suicide attack and killed the would-be bomber in the restive south-western province of Balochistan, officials said.

An official of the Balochistan government said that a Frontier Corps vehicle was passing near a checkpoint in Kuch Mor area of Quetta, the provincial capital, when the attacker first opened fire on them and then tried to detonate himself.

"But before he could detonate and cause casualties and damage, the alert security forces managed to gun him down," the official said. He said the security forces had found a suicide vest with explosives on the body of the attacker.

Another official said that the experts of bomb disposal squad removed the suicide vest from the body of slain militant.

Nobody took responsibility of the botched attack but the Taliban militants are active in the province and often carry out such attacks.