QUETTA: Four members of a Christian family and five others lost their lives in separate incidents in the city on Monday, showing an uptick in violence that authorities appeared to be powerless to control.

While the Christian family, who belonged to Punjab and had come to Quetta to see relatives, fell victim to a targeted attack, the cause of the death of others was said to be a tribal feud.

Police officials said five members of the Christian family were travelling in an auto-rickshaw when gunmen on two motorcycles opened fire on them and fled.

According to AP, the militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Christian family in a statement carried by its Aamaq news.

Militant Islamic State group claims responsibility for attack

Among the four killed was a woman and two brothers. A 12-year-old girl, the daughter of one of the deceased, suffered injuries. She was admitted to the trauma centre of the Civil Hospital Quetta.

Sources said all the four were hit by bullets in the head and upper parts of the body.

Quoting a witness, an officer said the assailants sprayed bullets on the rickshaw from two sides.

The bodies and the injured were shifted to hospital by personnel of the police and paramilitary Frontier Corps.

The deceased were identified as Imran Masih, Tariq Masih, Pervez Masih and Firdus Bibi.

The injured girl was identified as Sehar Pervez.

Earlier in the day, two groups of the Bangulzai tribe clashed with each other in the Kalli Qambrani area. The fighting left five people, including a Levies man, dead and five others injured.

Automatic weapons were used by both sides during the clash, the sources said, adding that the bodies and the injured were taken to the Bolan Medical College hospital.

They said the clash was the outcome of an old enmity between the two groups.

The deceased were identified as Takri Ghulam Rasool and his son Abdul Hameed, Bashir Ahmed, Levies official Naveed Ahmed and Amanullah.

After the clash security personnel cordoned off the area and local administration deployed a heavy contingent of FC and police personnel to avert further clashes.

A number of armed men from both sides were taken into custody.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2018