Gunmen kill 39 in coordinated attacks in south-west Pakistan: Officials

They say shootings by militant separatist group largely targeted ethnic Punjabis

QUETTA, Pakistan - Separatist gunmen killed at least 39 people in "coordinated" attacks in south-west Pakistan on Aug 26 that largely targeted ethnic Punjabis, government officials said.

In one of the attacks, dozens of militants stopped vehicles travelling on a highway through Balochistan province and shot 23 people dead one of the worst shootings in the region in the past several years.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most active militant separatist group in the province, claimed responsibility for an overnight operation in a statement sent to AFP.

Government officials have reported deadly attacks in at least three districts in impoverished Balochistan, where security forces are battling sectarian, ethnic and separatist violence.

"We have confirmed 39 people killed in several coordinated attacks carried out by the BLA terrorists," Mr Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan provincial government, told AFP.

In Musakhail district, between 30 and 40 gunmen stopped 22 buses, vans and trucks one after the other on a highway connecting Punjab with Balochistan, senior official Najibullah Kakar told AFP.

"Vehicles travelling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot," he said.