Gunmen kill 20 miners and wound others in an attack in southwest Pakistan

At least 20 miners were killed and seven others wounded when gunmen stormed a coal mine in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, in one of the deadliest recent attacks in the restive region, police confirmed Friday.

Police official Hamayun Khan Nasir said the assailants attacked the miners’ living quarters late Thursday night in Duki district, rounding up the workers before opening fire. Most of the victims were from Pashtun-speaking areas of Balochistan, while three of the dead and four injured were Afghan nationals.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

The massacre comes just days before Pakistan hosts a major security summit, heightening concerns about the country’s fragile law-and-order situation. This was the second major terrorist attack in Pakistan within four days — earlier, on October 6, a blast near Karachi airport killed three people and injured 11.

Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has long been plagued by separatist violence, sectarian attacks, and militant activity, particularly targeting coal mines and migrant workers.