6 killed in terrorist attack in SW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: At least six people were killed in a terrorist attack in Gwadar district of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province on Wednesday night, the police said.

According to the local police, the incident occurred when armed assailants opened fire on civilians in the Kalmat area of Gwadar, leaving five people dead and another injured.

Police, security personnel, and rescue teams rushed to the site, shifting the bodies and the injured to a nearby hospital, where the injured victim succumbed to his wounds during treatment, the police added.

The initial police investigation revealed that the deceased were laborers traveling from Gwadar to the southern port city of Karachi to spend the upcoming Eid festival with their families when they were attacked.

Meanwhile, security forces launched a search operation to track down the assailants who managed to flee the scene.

No group has claimed the attack yet.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident and ordered an investigation to identify those responsible and ensure their punishment.

“The cowardly actions of these miscreants against innocent people clearly reflect their brutality,” said the prime minister, adding that Pakistan will never allow anti-national elements to succeed in their malicious intentions.

-Xinhua