Summary Around 200 FC personnel took part in the operation in Balochistan province.
QUETTA (AP) - Security forces launched a major operation before dawn Saturday to hunt down gunmen who hijacked two buses and killed at least 19 passengers in the country s southwest, officials said.
In a statement, the paramilitary Frontier Corps said 200 troops were taking part in the operation in Balochistan province, the home of a long-running insurgency that has seen increasing violence in recent weeks.
Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said the violence began Friday night when the gunmen abducted 25 passengers and killed 19. He said authorities recovered the remaining six passengers, one of whom is in critical condition.
Bugti said the abductors initially captured 70 passengers but let around 50 flee.
A witness said the gunmen who attacked the buses wore security force uniforms. He said the gunmen separated passengers by ethnicity, ordering Pashtun people to stand in line while allowing Baloch passengers to flee.
"The gunmen lined up Pashtun passengers after checking their identity cards and then opened fire," said the survivor.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
