Republished September 30, 2016 - 8:20 AM
Original Publication Date September 30, 2016 - 7:35 AM
QUETTA, Pakistan - Unknown gunmen killed six civilians in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province while attackers killed a police officer in the southern city of Karachi in order to free two alleged killers he was escorting, officials said Friday.
Local administrator Mohammad Younus of Baluchistan's Panjgur district said gunmen killed six people from the same family in an isolated house. The victims include a father, his two sons and two female relatives, said Younus, adding that the motive for the killings was still under investigation.
Baluchistan is the scene of an ongoing low-intensity insurgency by Baluch separatist groups, and Islamic militants also operate in the area.
In southern port city of Karachi, four gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on a car in which police officers were escorting two men accused of killing a policeman back from a court hearing, said Mushtaq Maher, the city police chief.
He said the attackers killed one officer and critically wounded another while a third officer escaped unhurt. Maher said the two suspects were also allegedly involved in the narcotics business.
Karachi has been the scene of ongoing gang wars and a longtime hotbed for criminal activity. Attacks on police and paramilitary rangers were frequent in the recent years, but have been reduced after a year-long crackdown by the rangers.
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Adil Jawad in Karachi, Pakistan, contributed to this report
News from © The Associated Press, 2016