In northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a suicide attacker detonated an explosive-laden vehicle against a convoy carrying Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. The attack took place near Besham city, on the route from Islamabad to Dasu, where a major hydroelectric dam project is underway by a Chinese company, approximately 270 kilometers (167 miles) from the Pakistani capital.
Rescue operations led by the Rescue 1122 group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa successfully retrieved four bodies initially, with efforts to recover two more ongoing. The attack resulted in the vehicle carrying the Chinese nationals plunging into a gorge, causing at least two of the bodies to be severely burnt.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and there has been no comment from the Chinese embassy in Islamabad or the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing regarding the incident. The attack underscores the ongoing security challenges faced by Chinese nationals working on various projects in Pakistan, amidst threats from armed groups in the region. This incident follows a history of violence targeting Chinese interests in Pakistan, including a 2021 bombing in Dasu that claimed 13 lives, nine of whom were Chinese.
This latest attack happened hours after Baloch rebels targeted a naval base in Turbat, Balochistan, killing at least one paramilitary soldier. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), known for its opposition to Pakistani and Chinese projects in the region, claimed responsibility for the naval base attack. The BLA has previously targeted the Gwadar port, a central piece of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in another attack that resulted in casualties among soldiers and BLA fighters.
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