Home Latest News Officials Warn of Taliban Attacks in Mountainous Areas

Officials Warn of Taliban Attacks in Mountainous Areas

by AFP
T. J. Kirkpatrick—AFP

T. J. Kirkpatrick—AFP

Senior officials of Gilgit-Baltistan claim interior ministry has informed them that the Pakistani Taliban may target the region.

The Pakistani Taliban may be planning attacks on tourists in the country’s mountainous north, where 10 foreign climbers were massacred last year, officials warned on Monday.

Thousands of tourists visit Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral each year, many drawn by the area’s impressive mountains and glaciers, including the world’s second highest peak K2. Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent weeks and officials are warning these may spread to the north as the spring tourist season gets under way.

“The interior ministry has officially informed Gilgit-Baltistan that the Pakistani Taliban can strike the region,” said a senior official of the Gilgit-Baltistan administration on condition of anonymity. “The interior ministry has warned of suicide bombings and attacks on tourists in the region.” Another official, also speaking anonymously, confirmed the warning.

The climbing industry in northern Pakistan was badly hit by the attack on foreign mountaineers at the foot of Pakistan’s second highest mountain Nanga Parbat in June last year. It was the deadliest assault on foreigners in the nuclear-armed country for a decade. Those killed were an American with dual Chinese citizenship, three Ukrainians, two Chinese, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian and a Nepalese. A Pakistani guide was also killed.

Police in Gilgit-Baltistan said they were not aware of any specific threat by the Pakistani Taliban but were remaining vigilant. “We have enhanced security as part of a routine exercise, keeping in mind the latest bout of violence throughout the country,” said the deputy chief of Gilgit-Baltistan police, Sher Ali.

Police have arrested 18 people over the Nanga Parbat killings but sources in the investigation team formed to probe the matter say they have detained only three actual perpetrators.

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1 comment

patriot January 27, 2014 - 11:49 pm

It has been more than 7 months since the nanga parbat incident. why have the “3 perpetrators” not been brought to justice yet? why are courts protecting the terrorists? because of foreign pressure? they should be hanging terrorists instead of protecting them. otherwise, such killings will continue. time to take action in your own hands!

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