Four kidnapped in southwest Pakistan

Four persons were kidnapped by unidentified armed men in the restive Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan today, security officials said.
The men were abducted in Mand area of Turbat district, officials of the Levies militia told the media.
The men were on their way home when the armed men took them away to an unknown location.
Levies personnel registered a case and launched a search for the men.
In a separate development, unidentified armed men gunned down a man in Chaman Bazar and escaped, Levies officials said.
The victim, identified as Muhammad Zahir Afghani, was standing near a mosque when the armed men fired at him. He was hit by several bullets and died instantly.

The reason behind the killing could not immediately be ascertained.
Several militant groups are active in Balochistan, which has been hit in recent years by ethnic and sectarian violence.