Gunmen in southwestern Pakistan carried out a deadly attack that left 23 passengers dead after singling them out from buses, vehicles, and trucks, according to police and officials in Quetta. The incident took place overnight in Kusakhail district in Baluchistan province, where at least 10 vehicles were set ablaze before the attackers fled the area, as reported by senior police official Ayub Achakzai. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack as “barbaric” and promised that those responsible would be brought to justice.

While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, separatists in Baluchistan have a history of targeting workers and individuals from the eastern Punjab region in a bid to drive them out of the province. This ongoing violence is part of a larger campaign by separatist groups seeking independence from the central government in Islamabad, which has led to a protracted insurgency in the region. The Baluchistan Liberation Army, a banned outfit, and other separatist groups have been frequently implicated in similar targeted killings, alongside the presence of Islamic militants in the province.