Bomb blast kills 5 in southwest Pakistan

Pakistani officials say a bomb blast targeting an army vehicle has killed three soldiers and two civilians in the southwestern city of Quetta.

Police commissioner Qambar Dashti says several people were wounded in Wednesday's blast and eight of them are in critical condition.

Police official Mir Zubair says it seems the blast was from an improvised explosive device detonated by remote control. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Quetta is the provincial capital of Baluchistan. The province has long been a scene of low-level insurgency by nationalist groups demanding more of a share in the region's natural resources.

Taliban and al-Qaida-linked Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has also been active in Baluchistan, mainly focusing on targeting Shiite Muslims who it considers to be heretics.