QUETTA: The Hazara Shia community, which has been a constant target of sectarian militants for several years, suffered on Thursday another deadly attack in which eight of its men were gunned down.

Later in the day, a bomb rigged to a motorbike was detonated by remote control near a vehicle of a law-enforcement agency, killing three civilians and injuring 14 others, including two Frontier Corps personnel.

The Hazara killing took place near a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of the city. Four armed men on two motorcycles came to the Hazarganji market, boarded a mini-bus and opened fire with automatic weapons, killing six people on the spot and injuring three, Sariab Superintendent Imran Qureshi said.

Capital City Police Officer Abdul Razzak Cheema said police and other law-enforcement personnel were investigating the attack which appeared to be sectarian.

According to police, the victims who owned vegetable shops in Hazara town had come to the Hazarganji market to buy vegetables. “After loading vegetables on the roof of the mini-bus they were sitting in the van waiting for it to leave when the gunmen appeared and sprayed them with a volley of shots. Nine people were in the mini-bus and eight of them suffered multiple bullet wounds. Six died on the spot and two others succumbed to their injuries in the Bolan Medical College Hospital.”

The lone injured man was taken to the Combined Military Hospital. “He is stable,” doctors said.

All assailants escaped soon after the incident.

Five of the dead have been identified as Abdul Aziz, Aashoor, Ali Shah, Safeer Ali and Ghulam Sarwar, while the identity of other three could not be ascertained.

Meanwhile, Lashker-i-Jhangvi spokesman Noorudddin Zangi called the NNI news agency office and claimed responsibility for the Hazarganji and Kirani road attacks. The man killed on Kirani road was identified as Abdullah.

The Hazara Democratic Party and Shia organisations have given a call for a shutter-down strike on Friday in protest against the killings.

The other incident which claimed three lives took place on Qambrani Road. Police said explosives were detonated when a vehicle of Frontier Corps was passing through the area. “The target was the vehicle of Frontier Corps patrolling the area,” police said.

The spokesman for FC, Balochistan, Khan Wasey, told Dawn that two FC personnel were among the injured.

The dead were identified as Abdul Rauf, Sardar Mohammad and Haji Nooruddin Achakzai.

Azad Baloch, a spokesman for the banned Baloch Liberation Army, told newsmen on phone that his organisation had carried out the attack.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2014