Gunmen disguised as members of the Pakistani security forces killed at least 22 passengers on Friday night after forcing them off buses traveling from the western city of Quetta to Karachi on the southern coast, officials said.
The assault in the province of Baluchistan occurred in the town of Mastung, around 40 km (25 miles) south of Quetta.
“Fifteen to 20 armed men in three pickup trucks and wearing security uniforms kidnapped around 35 passengers,” Sarfaraz Bugti, Baluchistan’s home minister, told Reuters.
He said the bodies of 22 passengers were later found around two km away from the main Quetta-Karachi highway in foothills. Seven of the assailants have been killed in an operation involving hundreds of soldiers and police, he added.
The circumstances of the passengers’ deaths could not immediately be established and the motives of the assailants were unclear.
Read the rest of the story at Reuters.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.