Islamabad - Saba:
Pakistani authorities recovered the bullet-riddled bodies of nine passengers from the mountains of Balochistan province after they were abducted by armed men in a series of attacks on buses in the restive southwestern region.
According to Reuters, no group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.
Government official Naveed Alam stated on Friday that the bodies were found in the mountains overnight. Meanwhile, provincial government spokesman Shahid Rind said the passengers were abducted from two buses on Thursday evening.
He said: "We are working on identifying the bodies and reaching out to their families," adding that the victims, who were laborers in the troubled region, were returning to their homes in Punjab.
Rind noted that security forces had foiled three rebel attacks on Thursday before the abductions took place, accusing neighboring India of supporting the gunmen.