According to Musakhel SP Ayub Achakzai, the attack occurred at a checkpoint set up by the armed men on the inter-provincial highway near Rarah Sham area of Khangri, about two kilometres from Dera Ghazi Road.
The assailants forced passengers off trucks and buses and shot them after identifying them. The attackers also set fire to 10 vehicles before fleeing the scene.
Police and levies forces arrived promptly and transported the bodies to a hospital.
Most of the deceased were reported to be from Punjab.
HORRENDOUS NOSHKI INCIDENT
The incident took place four months after unidentified gunmen shot dead nine people hailing from Punjab after abducting them from a passenger bus in Noshki.
Two persons were killed and five other were wounded when miscreants opened fire on another vehicle the same day.
Noshki Deputy Commissioner Habibullah Musakhel said gunmen abducted nine passengers from a bus by checking their identity cards and fled towards the nearby mountains. Later, they shot dead the abductees and dumped their bodies near a bridge. The deceased belonged to various cities of Punjab.
CONDEMNATIONS
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari hit out at the terrorists who snuffed lights out of lives of innocent people.
They expressed grief over the loss of lives and said it was the murder of humanity.
They offered condolences to the bereaved families and resolved to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to ensure best possible treatment of the injured.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the terrorist attack in the strongest terms and expressed deep sympathy and condolences to the victims’ families.
Naqvi stated that the terrorists demonstrated extreme cruelty by targeting the innocent people near Musakhel.
He pleged that the terrorists and their accomplices would face severe consequences.
The minister also acknowledged the immense sacrifices made by security forces and all segments of society in the ongoing fight against terrorism.
