Pakistan: Thirteen killed in attack on bus near Quetta
There have been a number of attacks targeting Shias in Pakistan Gunmen have attacked a bus carrying Shia Muslims in south-western Pakistan, killing 13 people and injuring six others, police said.
The attack took place near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.
Police said the attackers forced the passengers to stand in a line and fired at them. Eleven of the dead and four of the injured were Shias, say reports.
In recent years, there have been a number of bomb blasts and shootings targeting the minority Shia community.
The BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad says that it was a merciless and chilling attack in the morning rush hour and the second sectarian strike in Pakistan in recent weeks.
A fortnight ago, 26 Shia pilgrims were killed by a group of gunmen who opened fire on their bus in Mastung district, in Balochistan.
And a month ago, a suicide cab bomb attack in a parking area of a Shia mosque killed at least 11 people in Quetta. Police said most of the victims were Shia Muslims.
The latest attack took place on Tuesday morning.
Police said the bus was heading to a vegetable market on the outskirts of Quetta where the men were going to work, Associated Press reported.
Reports said Shia protesters, angered by the attack, had blocked the main highway near Quetta and set fire to the bus which had been attacked.
Shia Muslims are the largest minority in Pakistan.
Most of the attacks in the past have been blamed on the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) sectarian outfit, a predominantly Punjabi group with links to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Shia community leaders claim they have been abandoned by the authorities.
BBC News - Pakistan: Thirteen killed in attack on bus near Quetta
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