Police report that gunmen have killed 20 miners and injured seven others in an attack in southwestern Pakistan.
In the latest incident of violence in Balochistan province, gunmen attacked a coal mine in Duki district late Thursday night, just days before a major security summit in the capital.
According to police official Hamayun Khan Nasir, the assailants stormed the miners’ accommodations, rounded up the men, and opened fire. The victims were primarily from Pashtun-speaking regions of Balochistan, with three of the deceased and four injured being Afghan nationals.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on the banned Baloch Liberation Army, known for targeting civilians and security forces.
In August, the group carried out several attacks, resulting in over 50 deaths. Authorities retaliated by killing 21 insurgents in the province.
Among the victims were 23 passengers, mainly from eastern Punjab, who were shot dead after being taken from buses, vehicles, and trucks in Baluchistan’s Musakhail district.
The recent attack has been met with strong condemnation from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, who stated that terrorists have once again targeted vulnerable laborers.
He stated, “The killing of these innocent laborers would be avenged.”
Naqvi stated that those responsible for the murders of the laborers will not evade justice.
Frances Ibiefo
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