Gunmen kill 19 in southwestern Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan –  Gunmen have shot and killed 15 men who were planning to cross into Iran on their way to Europe as well as a police official and three of his family members in separate attacks in southwestern Pakistan, officials said Wednesday.

Darmoon Bawani, an administrator in Turbat district, which borders Iran, said the 15 men were killed in a mountain village. He said they ranged in age from 18 to 30 years old, and all hailed from the populous Punjab province. Travel documents showed they were planning to go to Europe, likely to seek work as migrant laborers. Their bodies were found Wednesday.

No one claimed responsibility for the killings. Baluch separatists in the region have attacked workers from Punjab in the past. Islamic militants also operate in the region.

In the other attack, gunmen riding on motorcycles opened fire on a car carrying a deputy superintendent of police and his wife, son and daughter, killing them on the spot.

Government spokesman Anwarul Haq said the attack took place in the provincial capital, Quetta. It came a week after a suicide bomber killed Quetta's police chief and three other officers. The Pakistani Taliban claimed that attack.