Militants gun down 23 passengers in SW Pakistan

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows vehicles near a militant attack site in Musa Khel district of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, Aug. 26, 2024. Militants in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province killed 23 passengers after blocking a highway for several hours, officials said. (Str/Xinhua)
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — Militants in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province killed 23 passengers after blocking a highway for several hours, officials said.
The incident happened in Musa Khel district of the province where the terrorists offloaded the passengers from the vehicles after checking their identities, the sources told Xinhua.
“The terrorists entered the vehicles and checked the identity cards of the passengers, following which they offloaded those coming from east Punjab province and shot them dead,” the sources added.
The road connecting Punjab to Balochistan was blocked between 12:00 a.m. (GMT 1900 Sunday) to 3:00 a.m. local time (GMT 2200 Sunday), the source said.
The terrorists also torched several vehicles during the roadblock.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident. However, in a message on social media, the proscribed organization Balochistan Liberation Army claimed to have blocked several roads across the province. ■

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows a burnt vehicle at a militant attack site in Musa Khel district of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, Aug. 26, 2024. Militants in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province killed 23 passengers after blocking a highway for several hours, officials said. (Str/Xinhua)

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows a burnt truck at a militant attack site in Musa Khel district of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, Aug. 26, 2024. Militants in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province killed 23 passengers after blocking a highway for several hours, officials said. (Str/Xinhua)

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows burnt vehicles at a militant attack site in Musa Khel district of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, Aug. 26, 2024. Militants in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province killed 23 passengers after blocking a highway for several hours, officials said. (Str/Xinhua)

A man (L) mourns over the death of his relative at a hospital following a militant attack, in Quetta, the provincial capital of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, Aug. 26, 2024. Militants in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province killed 23 passengers after blocking a highway for several hours, officials said. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua)

A man mourns as he identifies the body of a relative who was killed in a militant attack, in Quetta, the provincial capital of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, Aug. 26, 2024. Militants in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province killed 23 passengers after blocking a highway for several hours, officials said. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua)