Chinese engineers’ convoy attacked in Pakistan’s Balochistan

A convoy of Chinese engineers was attacked in Pakistan’s Balochistan province by armed rebels on Sunday. According to local media reports, Pakistani security forces killed two Baloch militants in a gunfight.

Two Pakistani security personnel were also injured when a convoy of engineers working for a Chinese construction company came under attack on Faqeer Bridge in Gwadar. As per sources, other terrorists fled the spot in an injured condition and an operation is underway to clear the area as gunfight continues.

Explosions and gunfire can be heard across the port city of Gwadar, where all roads remain closed for traffic, The Balochistan Post reported.

A large number of Chinese are currently working in Gwadar, the port in restive Balochistan province which is being linked to China’s Xinjiang province as part of the $60 billion so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed responsibility for today’s attack, opposes the Chinese investments in the region, saying they do not benefit the local people. The BLA has attacked CPEC-linked projects in the past too.

“BLA Majeed Brigade today targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers in Gwadar. The attack is still ongoing,” the separatist group said in a statement earlier today.