Gunmen Kill Five In Attack On Shi'ites In Southwestern Pakistan

Pakistani medical workers transport an injured Shi'ite Muslim into a hospital after a previous attack against Shi'a in Quetta on September 10.

Gunmen ambushed a vehicle carrying minority Shi'ite Muslims in Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta on October 9, killing four of them and a passer-by, police say.

Two other passers-by were also wounded in the attack in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, according to local police chief, Hidayat Ullah.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Sunni extremists regularly target Shi'ites and have staged previous such attacks in Balochistan and elsewhere in Pakistan.

A suicide bomber on October 5 targeted a Shi'ite shrine packed with worshippers in the village of Jhal Masgi in Balochistan, killing 24 people, in an attack claimed by Pakistan's Islamic State affiliate.

Shi'ites are regarded as apostates by Sunni extremist groups, and are frequently targeted in deadly attacks.

Based on reporting by AP and dawn.com