Pakistani gunmen kill 11 Shias in Quetta

Eleven people were shot dead in an apparently sectarian attack in the Pakistani city of Quettain south-western Pakistan.

30 July 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

All of the victims are thought to be members of the country's Shia Muslim minority, they said. Up to five other people have been wounded, according to police figures.

Police also said unidentified gunmen had opened fire on a vehicle near a bus station. Police said the victims had been waiting for a coach to travel to neighbouring Iran.

Quetta is the capital of the state of Baluchistan, bordering on Afghanistan.

Sunni and Shia extremists have frequently clashed and launched attacks on each other over the past 20 years.

No group has said it was behind Saturday's attack, but Lashkar-e-Jhangvi - widely seen as the armed wing of the militant Sunni Sipah-e-Sahaba group - has been accused of orchestrating violence in recent years.

On Friday, gunmen killed seven Shia pilgrims on the outskirts of Quetta when they opened fire at a bus stop.