2015 Mastung bus attack

{{Short description|Attack in Mastung, Pakistan by United Baloch Army}}

{{Infobox civilian attack

| title = 2015 Mastung bus attack

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| location = Mastung, Pakistan

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| date = {{start date|2015|05|29}}

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| fatalities = 22

| injuries =

| victims = 35

| perpetrators= United Baloch Army

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| weapons = Guns

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On May 29, 2015, twenty-two passengers on a bus in Mastung, Pakistan were killed by gunmen when the bus they were in was hijacked. The gunmen were disguised as Pakistani security members. United Baloch Army (UBA), a militant group operating in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/balochistan-grapples-with-sectarian-violence/|title = Balochistan Grapples with Sectarian Violence}}

Attack

The attack happened at night when a coach bus was traveling from Quetta to Karachi. Between fifteen and twenty armed men arrived near the bus and forced all the passengers to get off the bus. The gunmen were disguised in security uniforms and arrived in three pickup trucks.{{cite web|last1=Yousufzai|first1=Gul|title=Gunmen kill 22 bus passengers in Pakistan attack|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/30/us-pakistan-kidnapping-idUSKBN0OE2GX20150530|publisher=Reuters|access-date=1 June 2015|archive-date=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531121901/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/30/us-pakistan-kidnapping-idUSKBN0OE2GX20150530|url-status=dead}} The gunmen entered the bus and kidnapped thirty-five passengers. Twenty-two bodies were located two kilometers away from the exact location of the attack.{{cite web|title=Gunmen disguised as Pakistani forces shoot 22 dead on buses|date=30 May 2015|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0530/704890-gunmen-disguised-as-pakistani-forces-shoot/|publisher=RTE|access-date=1 June 2015}}

Aftermath

A large search for the gunmen the following day ensued, with five hundred ground troops and four helicopters assisting the search. Frontier Corps began a search operation in Khad Khocha and the areas surrounding Mastung. Since the attack, seven suspected terrorists involved have been killed.{{cite web|last1=Zafar|first1=Mohammed|title=Mastung attack: Home minister blames RAW as death toll climbs to 22|date=30 May 2015|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/894726/mastung-tragedy-relatives-stage-protest-outside-governor-house/|publisher=The Express Tribune|access-date=1 June 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Shahid|first1=Saleem|title=Seven eliminated in operation after Mastung carnage|date=31 May 2015|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1185247|publisher=DAWN|access-date=1 June 2015}} As a result of the attack, many family members of the victims participated in a sit in protest at the provincial chief minister's house. Some protesters laid sixteen of the bodies in front of the governor's home. Some protesters also attempted to enter the chief ministers home, but were denied access by police officers.Reference 3 The victims families received compensation from the provincial government.{{cite web|title=At least 22 killed in Pakistan bus attack|url=http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2015/05/31/at-least-22-killed-in-pakistan-bus-attack.html|publisher=Sky News|access-date=1 June 2015|archive-date=1 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601004023/http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2015/05/31/at-least-22-killed-in-pakistan-bus-attack.html|url-status=dead}}

Mureed Baluch, spokesperson for the United Baloch Army, claimed that their group were the ones who perpetrated the attack.{{cite web|last1=Sattar|first1=Abdul|title=After Pakistan bus attack, worry an insurgency growing worse|url=https://news.yahoo.com/pashtuns-refuse-bury-dead-pakistan-bus-hijackings-064727711.html|publisher=AP via Yahoo News|access-date=1 June 2015}}