A local official says gunmen have abducted and killed 13 bus passengers in southwest Pakistan. Kashif Nabi says the passengers were taken from a convoy of five buses Monday night heading from Baluchistan province to Punjab province.
Tribal police found their bodies Tuesday in a nearby ravine. Nabi says paramilitary troops provide protection for bus convoys moving through Baluchistan. But the attackers distracted the troops by attacking a nearby oil tanker. The troops responded, and one soldier was killed. Another group of gunmen attacked the buses and took 13 passengers with them. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Baluchistan is home to both Islamic militants and separatist insurgents. It’s not clear whom the attackers were targeting, but separatists have a history of attacking Punjabis.