Pakistan Suicide Bomb Attack: 5 Chinese nationals killed en route to Dasu
Pakistan Suicide Bomb Attack: Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver was killed in a suicide attack in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, according to local media reports. A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the vehicle carrying the Chinese. This is the third such attack in the last few weeks in Pakistan.
The incident took place on in Shangla district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Bakhat Zahir, local police chief, was quoted by news agency AFP as saying that those killed were construction workers and engineers heading to the Dasu Dam. It is the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan.
The bodies have been transported to a nearby hospital. The secuity has launched a search operation in the area to look for the attackers. The Pakistani Taliban has been increasing attacks on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan.
Last week, eight Baluchistan Liberation Army militants were killed by Pakistani security forces after they opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese citizens outside the Gwadar port. The port is Chinese-funded and is located in the southwestern Baluchistan province. The BLA militants want independence from the Pakistani government.
In a statement, the country's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi offered condolences to the families of the deceased. He said, "The enemy has targeted Chinese citizens who are the friends of Pakistan." He did not elaborate who he was referring to but vowed to "deal with an iron hand" those responsible, and expressed hope the attack wouldn't negatively impact Pakistani-Chinese relations. Naqvi also visited China's embassy in Islamabad, where he briefed the Chinese ambassador, Jiang Zaidong, about the attack.
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