Gunmen kill 14 bus passengers in Pakistan

A Pakistani official says gunmen have ambushed a bus and killed 14 passengers after forcing them off the vehicle on a highway in the country’s southwest.

The attackers were wearing uniforms from the paramilitary Frontier Corps, provincial home secretary Haider Ali told AFP.

The killings happened before dawn on Thursday.

There were differing reports about the destination of the bus, with AP stating it was Gawadar and AFP stating it was Karachi.

About three dozen people were travelling on the bus when gunmen stopped the vehicle and killed 14 people after checking their identity cards.

The motive behind the killings is not known.

A naval official and a coast guard member were among those killed, Ali said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killings but Baluchi separatists often target security forces and people from Punjab, who tend to dominate the ranks of the military stationed in Baluchistan whom the separatists are fighting.

Separatists have waged a low-level insurgency in Baluchistan, demanding a fairer share of the province’s resources.