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India-Pakistan
Five die in Pakistan bus attack
2003-10-03
Gunmen have opened fire on a bus carrying Shia Muslim worshippers in Pakistan’s city of Karachi, killing five and wounding seven, police said. No one has yet said they carried out the attack in the west of the city. However in recent years, sectarian violence between Sunni Muslims and minority Shias has killed hundreds. Karachi police said the latest attack was a highly organised act of terrorism. The bus had been carrying both Sunnis and Shias but the raid occurred after the Sunnis had been dropped off at their mosque. Police said the gunmen tracked the bus on two motorcycles and fired dozens of rounds before escaping. Three of the wounded were in a critical condition.
Posted by:Paul Moloney

#1  Most of the dead and wounded were employees of Pakistan's Space & Upper Atmospheric Research Commission, using a company bus. An off-duty Pakistani soldier traveling on the bus was also among the dead, police Inspector Arshad Afridi said. The attack occurred on a deserted road near the space research commission's center in the Maripur area on the outskirts of Karachi. "The incident occurred only yards away from a private security check post, but unfortunately the guards there were not armed," said Afridi. Usman Azad, a supervisor at a local security firm, said gunfire blazed for more than a minute. "My security guards standing only yards away could do nothing because they had no weapons," he said. "Then the killers fled in the direction of a nearby village." There were conflicting reports about the number of gunmen involved. Shahid, who said he saw the attack, said he saw a couple of gunmen running away on foot. "They attacked the bus from two sides," he told Reuters.

Since these were government employees of the Pak Space program (missile research), I'm sure the Pak police will take more interest in going after the perps.
Posted by: Steve   2003-10-3 11:35:58 AM  

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