QUETTA: Afghan security forces kidnapped two Pakistanis in southwestern Baluchistan province in Pakistan and later killed them, officials said on Sunday.

Some two dozen Afghan security force officers crossed the border into southwestern Pakistan on Friday and kidnapped the two Pakistanis, taking them back into Afghanistan, secretary of tribal affairs Naseebullah Bazai told AFP.

“Two Pakistanis were taken away by Afghan forces and shot dead inside Afghanistan,” Bazai said, adding that the government had called an immediate meeting with the Afghan Consulate General in Quetta.

“We have demanded immediate return of bodies and we shall lodge a strong protest with Afghanistan on Monday,” he said and added that the foreign ministry had been alerted about the incident.

Local intelligence officials confirmed the incident.

The southwestern Baluchistan province of which Quetta is the capital, borders Afghanistan and Iran and is rife with domestic insurgency as well as violence blamed on Taliban militants.