Pakistan: Armed men offload people from vehicles; shoot 23 dead after identity check

Armed men who took over a highway in Pakistan’s Balochistan province shot dead 23 people after offloading them from buses and trucks in Musakhail district. The assailants reportedly checked their identities before firing at them.

The incident happened on a highway in the Rarasham area of Musakhail. The armed men created a roadblock on a highway before stopping buses and trucks moving to and from Punjab. They checked the identities of the passengers before shooting them dead. 

“The dead are reportedly from Punjab,” Musakhail Assistant Commissioner Najeeb Kakar was quoted by Karachi-based newspaper Dawn. He added that assailants inspected the vehicles and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot.

The senior police official said three of the victims were from Balochistan and the rest from Punjab. “Vehicles travelling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot,” Kakar added.

There is no information so far about the perpetrators of the attack.