A Baloch separatist movement threatened on Wednesday April 27 to carry out new attacks against Chinese interests in Pakistan, after claiming responsibility the day before for an attack in Karachi (south), in which three Chinese were killed.
Read alsoPakistan: four dead, including three Chinese, in an attack carried out by a Baloch suicide bomber
The three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver were killed on Tuesday by a woman who detonated her explosive vest in front of their vehicle at the entrance to the Confucius Chinese Cultural Institute on the University of Karachi campus. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), one of the groups demanding independence for this large, poor and sparsely populated province in southwestern Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack. .
Hundreds of male and female fightersare ready to carry out deadly attacks throughout Balochistan and PakistanBLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch promised in a statement in English on Wednesday. He warned Beijing against the risk of attacks “even harderunless China puts an end to itsmining projects» mining in Balochistan and «Pakistani state occupation“.
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Balochistan has been rocked intermittently for decades by a separatist rebellion. These groups denounce the stranglehold of Islamabad and Beijing on the natural resources of this province rich in hydrocarbons and minerals. A security official at the University of Karachi told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that his services had recently expressed concern for the safety of 15 Chinese university staff members. “Reports surfaced in February that an attack may be taking place on campussaid the official.
The first suicide mission led by a woman
The bomber was presented by the BLA as a 30-year-old woman named Shaari Baloch, married with two young children, who was a science teacher and was studying for a master’s degree. The police confirmed this information. This is the first suicide mission led by a woman on behalf of the BLA. The use of suicide bombers is a new tactic adopted by this group. Women suicide bombers remain rare in Pakistan, only the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, have already used them.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of its citizens and interests. He also asked Chinese nationals in the country to “take strict precautions“. Tensions in Baluchistan revolve in particular around the major construction sites of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)), for which China must spend more than 50 billion dollars (42 billion euros), with the deep-water port as its flagship. from Gwadar.
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