At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan

At least 20 miners were killed and six injured in an attack by armed men on a small private coal mine in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Friday, police said.

“A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” said the police station house officer for the town, Humayun Khan, located east of the city of Quetta. They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well, he added.

“We have received 20 bodies and six injured so far at the district hospital,” said Johar Khan Shadizai, a doctor in Duki.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

On Monday, a separatist group called the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said it carried out an attack on Chinese nationals outside Pakistan’s biggest airport in Karachi, killing two Chinese citizens and a Pakistani national. 

However, the group denied its involvement in the attack in Dukki on Saturday, and condemned the violence. 

"Baloch Liberation Army condemns the massacre of 21 Pashtun workers in Duki, making it clear that our organization has no involvement in this tragic incident," the BLA said.

The BLA seeks independence for the province of Balochistan, located in Pakistan's southwest and bordering on Afghanistan and Iran. 

The group has targeted economic interests in the province, accusing Pakistan, as well as China, of exploiting the area.