Suspected gunmen ambushed a car carrying a judge in a troubled area in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing him and his security guard before fleeing, police and government officials said.

The attack took place in the Mastung area of Balochistan province, where separatist rebels have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.

Abdul Rauf, a local police official in Mastung, said Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar was traveling from Quetta, the provincial capital, to Mastung to hear cases when 'terrorists ambushed his car and killed him' and his guard.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, suspicion likely points to Baloch separatist rebels, who have stepped up attacks across the province in recent months, especially the banned Balochistan Army.

Balochistan province, Pakistan's largest but least populous province, has long witnessed a separatist insurgency, as well as attacks by the Pakistani Taliban.

The Balochistan Army, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2019, has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks targeting security forces, government officials, and civilians in recent years.