Pakistan shuts key border crossing in wake of shrine attack

People protest against a recent attack at a shrine, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. A brutal attack on a beloved Sufi shrine that killed dozens of people raised fears that the Islamic State group has become emboldened in Pakistan, aided by an army of homegrown militants benefiting from hideouts in neighboring Afghanistan, analysts and officials said Friday. AP/PTI Photo

Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighboring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.

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