Pakistan: Grenade attack kills several, including children

The death toll from an overnight grenade attack on a truck in Karachi rose to 12 on Sunday, with children among the victims.

The incident occurred late Saturday evening when a mini-truck carrying more than 20 members of an extended family was hit by a grenade in the Pakistan's biggest city. The family was returning from a wedding reception.

"At least 12 people were killed in the attack," local police officer Fida Hussain said.

Another eight people were wounded and it is feared that the death toll may still rise.

The attack in the port city is being viewed as an attempt to sabotage Pakistan's independence day celebrations but it would be "premature" to draw a definitive conclusion, one police official said.

Counterterrorism police confirmed initial investigations suggested the attack occurred as a result of motorcyclists ambushing the truck.

Baluchistan also witnesses attack

In a separate incident amid independence day commemorations across the country, militants attacked a security patrol in the restive southwestern Baluchistan province.

The attack triggered a shootout that left three militants and a soldier dead near Shahrig in the Loralai district.

Baluchistan witnessed frequent militant attacks and a long-running insurgency by groups seeking independence for the mineral- and gas-rich region which borders both Iran and Afghanistan.

The Pakistani Taliban also have a presence there.

jsi/rs (AP, dpa, Reuters)