Blast hits Pakistan navy bus, third in a week

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A blast hit a bus carrying Pakistani navy officials in Karachi on Thursday, wounding 15 people, a provincial government official said, the third attack on the navy in less than a week.

"Till now we have reports that 15 people have been injured," said Sharfuddin Memom, a spokesman for the Sindh provincial government. Karachi is capital of Sindh.

Two bombs hit buses carrying navy personnel on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding 56.

Karachi is Pakistan's biggest city and commercial hub. It is also home to the main base of Pakistani navy.

Militants linked to al Qaeda and Taliban have carried out several attacks in the sprawling city since Pakistan joined the U.S.-led war against terrorism in 2001.

Experts say the navy may have been targeted because it is seen as less well-defended than the army and the air force which are leading the fight against militants.

In 2002, 11 French engineers and technicians working on the construction of submarines for the Pakistan navy were killed along with three Pakistanis in a suicide bombing outside a hotel in Karachi.