Pakistani police searched for gunmen who killed nine people after abducting them from a bus on a highway in the country’s southwest.
According to a report from The Associated Press, the same attackers had earlier killed two people and wounded six in another car.
The abduction reportedly took place on Friday in Baluchistan province.
AP News said Deputy Commissioner Habibullah Mosakhail disclosed on Saturday that the gunmen set up a blockade, then stopped the bus and went through the passengers’ ID cards. They reportedly took nine people with them, all from the eastern Punjab province, and fled into the mountains, he said.
Police later recovered nine bodies under a bridge about 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the highway. Earlier on Friday, the same gunmen had opened fire at a vehicle that failed to stop for their blockade, killing two and wounding six.
A search for the perpetrators was underway, Mosakhail said. The bus was heading from the provincial capital of Quetta to Taftan, a town bordering Iran.
According to the AP News article, an initial police report said that 19 of the passengers were travelling to Iran on their way to Western countries as migrants. The report, shared with The Associated Press, said that two of those abducted and killed were human smugglers. Punjab has emerged as a hotspot for Pakistanis trying to make the perilous journey to Europe hoping for a better life there.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, expressing his “deep sorrow and regret over this shocking incident.” He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and said he stood by them in their hour of grief, according to a statement from his office.
“The perpetrators of this incident of terrorism and their facilitators will be punished,” Sharif said.
Abductions are rare in Baluchistan, where militants usually target police forces and soldiers or infrastructure.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killings. Police said there was no ransom demand and no indication of a motive for the attacks.
Although the government says it has quelled the insurgency, violence in Baluchistan has persisted.
