Blast kills former Baloch rebel

A former rebel who switched sides in the conflict in the Pakistani province of Balochistan has been killed in roadside bomb blast, officials say.

Bangan Bugti, who had been a bodyguard of former Baloch leader Akbar Bugti, was killed when his vehicle hit an explosive device as he drove to Quetta.

He had deserted Akbar Bugti and reportedly helped the army track him down and kill him in August.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) rebel group says it planted the explosives.

Four other people were injured in the explosion in the eastern district of Dera Bugti.

The authorities say it is not clear if the blast was caused by a mine or some other explosive device.

Bangan Bugti, locally known as Commander Bangan, was reportedly running a camp for tribal militants in Dera Bugti before he surrendered to the government in June of this year.

There were reports that he had taken part in the government's search operations in the Sui and Dera Bugti areas.

A man calling himself a BLA spokesman told the BBC that all those who had betrayed the Baloch cause would be treated in the same way.