Gunmen kill police officer in southwestern Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan – Police in Pakistan say gunmen have killed a policeman in a drive-by shooting in the southwestern city of Quetta. The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the killing.

Officer Abdul Hakim says Mohammad Musa was targeted in the Nawan Kili area of the city when he was returning home after duty at the Barori police station on Thursday.

Hakim says gunmen riding on a motorcycle fired several bullets and fled the scene. Musa was instantly killed. The militant group Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility.

More than a dozen policemen have been killed in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, in recent months. Baluchistan borders Afghanistan and is believed to be a Taliban sanctuary. Baluch separatists, who demand a greater share of the province’s resources, are also waging an insurgency there.