Two Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed Wednesday in a roadside bomb explosion while guarding members of Qatar’s royal family on a bird-hunting expedition, officials said.
A convoy containing Qatari royals was traveling out of the provincial city of Turbat, 110 kilometers (70 miles) from the Iranian border, when it was hit by an explosion, two officials said.
“The visitors remained safe during the attack,” said Abdul Hameed, a senior local administration official. “Two Border Corps paramilitary soldiers died in the explosion,” he said. AFPadding that four more members were injured.
A second local administration official also confirmed details of the attack on condition of anonymity, saying the royals had been provided “additional security” after the explosion.
None of the officials said which members of the Qatari royal family, who number in the thousands, were in the hunting party.
It was also unclear whether Qataris were specifically targeted. However, Balochistan is home to a large number of separatist militant groups that regularly attack security forces. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hunting enthusiasts among the Gulf elite travel to Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province each winter to use falcons to capture the rare and solitary houbara bustard.
