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KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Both a Pakistani Taliban splinter group and an Islamic State affiliate are claiming responsibility for today's deadly attack on a bus in southern Pakistan.
Officials say gunmen stormed the bus in the port city of Karachi and ordered its Shiite Muslim passengers to bow their heads before shooting them, killing at least 45 people. It's the latest attack targeting the religious minority.
A provincial police chief says the bus was headed to a Shiite community center when it was boarded by six gunmen. Shell casings at the scene indicated that they used both pistols and machine guns in the attack, before fleeing on motorcycles.
The Taliban and other Sunni militant groups have had a presence in Karachi for a long time. Some Taliban fighters have pledged their allegiance in recent months to the Islamic State group.
%@AP Links
152-c-07-(Asif Shahzad (AH'-seef shah-ZAHD'), AP correspondent)-"bus arrived there"-AP correspondent Asif Shahzad reports that witnesses at the hospital were shocked by what they saw in the bus. (13 May 2015)
<<CUT *152 (05/13/15)££ 00:07 "bus arrived there"
151-c-20-(Asif Shahzad (AH'-seef shah-ZAHD'), AP correspondent)-"a nearby hospital"-AP correspondent Asif Shahzad reports gunmen killed more than 40 people aboard a bus in southern Pakistan bound for a Shiite community center. ((note length)) (13 May 2015)
<<CUT *151 (05/13/15)££ 00:20 "a nearby hospital"
APPHOTO ISL108: A Pakistani paramilitary trioop stands guard near a bus targeted by attackers in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2015. Gunmen killed dozens of people on Wednesday aboard a bus in southern Pakistan bound for a Shiite community center, in the latest attack targeting the religious minority, police said. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) (13 May 2015)
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APPHOTO ISL109: Women mourn as they visit a local hospital following an attack on a bus in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2015. Gunmen killed dozens of people on Wednesday aboard a bus in southern Pakistan bound for a Shiite community center, in the latest attack targeting the religious minority, police said. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil) (13 May 2015)
<<APPHOTO ISL109 (05/13/15)££
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