A devastating attack on a highway in Balochistan province, Pakistan, has resulted in the loss of at least 22 lives.
The victims were forcibly removed from their vehicles and subjected to ID checks before being singled out and shot.
According to reports, the attackers targeted individuals from Punjab province, sparking fears of sectarian violence, as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has been targeting individuals from other provinces working in the region.
“They stopped 22 vehicles. Vehicles traveling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot,” Najibullah Kakar, a senior local official told AFP, adding that around 30 to 40 militants were involved in Musa Khel.
The BLA, a militant group, has claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that they were targeting military personnel traveling in civilian clothes.
“We have taken full control of all major highways across Balochistan, blocking them completely,” it added.
Over the past 24 hours, the BLA has launched a series of attacks on multiple government installations, including police stations and security forces’ camps across the province.
In Kalat, 11 were killed – five of them security personnel – and six bodies were recovered in another district in Balochistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed “deep grief and condemnation over the terrorist attack” in a statement issued by his office.
Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan, has been plagued by separatist violence and exploitation of resources.
The BLA and other Baloch separatists have intensified attacks on individuals from other provinces, including Punjabis and Sindhis, as well as foreign energy firms.
In a similar incident in April this year, nine passengers were offloaded from a bus in Balochistan and shot dead after their IDs were checked.
Several Western countries, including the UK and US, have designated the BLA as a global terrorist organization.