by Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
At least 21 passengers were killed by suspected Baluch separatists in militancy-plagued southwestern Baluchistan province on Friday evening, officials said.
Sarfraz Bugti, the home minister of Baluchistan, told media that a group of terrorists -- later estimated to be 15 to 20 people -- intercepted two passenger buses, which were on their way to Karachi, in Mastung town located 50 kilometers off state capital Quetta, and kidnapped 35 passengers.
Bullet-riddled bodies of 19 passengers were found a few hundred meters away from the site, he said, adding that the deceased were Pashtuns.
Assistant commissioner of Mastung Mohammad Ismail later said the death toll had risen to 21.
Five of the passengers were reportedly recovered after an exchange of fire between militants and security forces. 500 security troops are participating in operation to recover those abducted, Bugti said.
There were conflicting reports about the nature of incidents as eyewitnesses said the terrorists killed the passengers on the spot after identifying them as non-Baluchis.
The deadly incidents reminded the gruesome memories of a gun attack on a bus that killed 45 members of tiny Ismaili-Shia community, earlier this month.
Traders have announced a shutter down in Quetta and other towns for Saturday in protest against the terrorist attack.
