A British aid worker has been killed in Pakistan after being kidnapped earlier this year, the Foreign Office said.
The body of Khalil Dale, who was originally from Manchester but lived in Dumfries, was found on Sunday on the outskirts of the city of Quetta in the Baluchistan province.
The 60-year-old health programme manager, who was seconded to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), had been abducted by gunmen in the city as he made his way home in a clearly-marked ICRC vehicle on January 5.
At the time, police in Quetta said Mr Dale was abducted by unknown assailants riding a Landcruiser, following a visit to a local school. He had been travelling with a Pakistani doctor and a driver, who were not seized.
Yves Daccord, director general of the ICRC, said: "The ICRC condemns in the strongest possible terms this barbaric act.
"All of us at the ICRC and at the British Red Cross share the grief and outrage of Khalil's family and friends. We are devastated. Khalil was a trusted and very experienced Red Cross staff member who significantly contributed to the humanitarian cause."
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague also expressed his sympathy to Mr Dale's family.
He said: "I learned with great sadness earlier today of the killing of Khalil Dale by his kidnappers in Baluchistan province, Pakistan.
"Mr Dale, a British humanitarian worker, was kidnapped in January this year. Since then tireless efforts have been under way to secure his release, and the British government has worked closely with the Red Cross throughout.
"I utterly condemn the kidnapping and killing of Mr Dale, and send my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones as they come to terms with their tragic and distressing loss."
Mr Hague added: "This was a senseless and cruel act, targeting someone whose role was to help the people of Pakistan, and causing immeasurable pain to those who knew Mr Dale.
"My thoughts are with them, and with all those who have dedicated their lives to assisting the world's most vulnerable people through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement."
It was not the first time a foreigner had been kidnapped from the region. In 2009, an American working for the United Nations refugee agency in the city was abducted and held for two months.
The Foreign Office advises against "all but essential travel to Quetta" and other parts of Baluchistan, warning on its website that "there is a heightened risk from kidnapping and militant activity" in the area.
Mr Dale had worked for the ICRC and the British Red Cross for many years, having previously been posted in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. He had been in Quetta for almost a year when he was abducted.
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