Gunmen kill 3 Pakistani troops in Quetta city

QUETTA, Pakistan – A senior Pakistani police official says gunmen riding on motorcycles have opened fire on a vehicle carrying paramilitary soldiers in the country’s southwestern city of Quetta, killing three troops before fleeing.

Officer Naseeb Ullah says Saturday’s attack took place in the city’s Saryab Road neighbourhood when residents were celebrating the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday. No one claimed responsibility for the attack and Ullah says police transported the bodies to a nearby hospital.

Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan and has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch separatist groups, who demand a greater share of the province’s resources.

Islamic militant groups also operate there and often target security forces.

Also late Friday, militants killed three Pakistani soldiers in a cross-border attack in the North Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan.