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https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...consulate-in-karachi/articleshow/66760968.cms
Two killed as gunmen attack Chinese consulate in Karachi
AFP|
Updated: Nov 23, 2018, 11.01 AM IST
4Comments
Firing and small explosions were heard near the Chinese Consulate here on Friday.
KARACHI: At least two policemen were killed when unidentified gunmen stormed the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Friday, officials said.
Up to four gunmen tried to enter the consulate but were intercepted by security guards at a checkpoint, senior local police official Javaid Alam Odho told AFP.
An exchange of fire resulted "killing two of our constables and critically wounding another", he said.
He added that the attackers "ran away" but did not confirm if the attack was over, saying the area had been cordoned off and security forces were conducting a clearing operation.
"Police and Rangers have reached the site," added senior police official Pir Muhammad Shah.
Pictures posted to social media purportedly of the attack showed smoke rising from the area.
Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and a financial hub, was for years rife with political, sectarian and ethnic militancy.
A crackdown in the city by security forces in recent years has brought a lull in violence, but scattered attacks still take place.
China, one of Pakistan's closest allies, has poured billions into the South Asian country in recent years as part of a massive infrastructure project that seeks to connect its western province Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ast-and-gunshots-heard-near-chinese-consulate
Pakistan: two police officers killed in attack on Chinese consulate in Karachi
Smoke seen billowing into the air after blasts and gunshots heard near consulate
Guardian staff and agencies
Fri 23 Nov 2018 05.19 GMT Last modified on Fri 23 Nov 2018 06.32 GMT
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Paramilitary forces and police are seen during an attack on the Chinese embassy in Karachi Photograph: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters
At least two policemen have been killed when unidentified gunmen stormed the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, officials said.
Several gunmen tried to enter the consulate but were intercepted by security guards at a checkpoint, senior local police official Javaid Alam Odho told AFP.
An exchange of fire resulted “killing two of our constables and critically wounding another”, he said.
Authorities said three suspected suicide bombers were killed before they were able to enter the facility. Police said they used a car bomb in the attack.
All 21 Chinese staff in the country’s consulate were safe and have been moved to a safer location, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. “There were three suicide attackers,” spokesman Jiand Baloch said.
“They stormed the Chinese embassy in Karachi. China is exploiting our resources.”
The BLA is just one of the militant groups operating in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, which is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.
Authorities initially said the attackers first opened fire at consulate guards and then managed to breach the main gate and enter the building.
'Honour' killings in Karachi shock Pakistan's largest city
Read more
“Two attackers have entered the visa section of the consulate, diplomats are safe,” a senior police officer told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Seemin Jamali, a doctor at the Jinnah Hospital in Karachi, said: “We have two cops brought dead and security guard injured due to blast impact.”
Footage taken at the scene showed smoke rising from the building and shots ringing out. Several other media reported gunfire by the consulate.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and a financial hub, was for years rife with political, sectarian and ethnic militancy.
A crackdown in the city by security forces in recent years has brought a lull in violence, but scattered attacks still take place.
China, one of Pakistan’s closest allies, has poured billions into the South Asian country in recent years as part of a massive infrastructure project that seeks to connect its western province Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea.
The Chinese consulate is located in the affluent Clifton neighbourhood, along with those of several other nations.
Reuters and AFP contributed to this report
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/23/asia/karachi-chinese-consulate-attack-intl/index.html
Four killed in Chinese consulate attack in Karachi
By Euan McKirdy and Sophia Saifi, CNN
Updated 0645 GMT (1445 HKT) November 23, 2018
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN)Armed attackers attempted to storm the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi Friday morning local time, killing four people, authorities said.
Three attackers were also killed in the assault on the consulate in the city's high-security red zone, according to a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman.
The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a tweet including a photo of three unidentified men and the message: "Karachi: Fidayeen of BLA attacked the Chinese embassy in Karachi." CNN does not have independent confirmation of the group's involvement.
Security was immediately ramped up at consulates all over Karachi, Sindh Governor Imran Ismael told CNN.
Two of the four victims were uniformed police officers, according to Seemi Jamali, the Head of Emergency at Jinnah Hospital. No Chinese nationals were among the dead, the hospital said.
'Brazen attack'
Ahsan Jamil, an equity portfolio manager at an investment firm whose office faces the Chinese consulate told CNN that the shots started around 9:15 local time (11.15 p.m. ET Thursday night) and lasted around 30 to 45 minutes.
He said the area is surrounded by schools, and that parents were being turned away by school staff because of the gunfire and explosions, but otherwise there were "no other signs of panic." He said he saw police cars driving towards the area.
When journalist Amir Latif, from Turkey's Anadolu News Agency, spoke to CNN he could still hear gunshots.
"(The consulate is in) a very heavily guarded area, the firing is still continuing and we can hear small blasts, which suggests the attackers are still engaged with security forces," Latif said.
"The firing is still continuing and the police have not made any official statement but eyewitnesses said there are three to four attackers, heavily armed attackers who tried to storm the Chinese consulate and still we can hear gunshots," Latif said.
It's unclear whether the terrorists were inside the compound or near the consulate.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi later confirmed that the operation to secure the Chinese compound was over.
"Our Chinese friends and officials -- around 21 people -- are all safe," he told a media briefing.
"The area is clear. Those who want to prevent peace in this country were brilliantly stalled by the young security officers of this country.
"Pakistan and China's friendship cannot be disturbed. Pakistan and China have joint security attempts to prevent such attempts at destroying the work that the two countries are working on."
He added that he hoped to speak to his Chinese counterpart "soon."'
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has conducted a low-level separatist insurgency against the state for nearly two decades.
The organization, which grew out of anger over the state's perceived monopoly of the province's mineral resources, previously have killed and kidnapped Chinese engineers working in the province.
Balochistan is at the core of the massive multi-billion dollar cooperation deal known as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
CNN's Bard Wilkinson contributed to this report.
Two killed as gunmen attack Chinese consulate in Karachi
AFP|
Updated: Nov 23, 2018, 11.01 AM IST
4Comments
KARACHI: At least two policemen were killed when unidentified gunmen stormed the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Friday, officials said.
Up to four gunmen tried to enter the consulate but were intercepted by security guards at a checkpoint, senior local police official Javaid Alam Odho told AFP.
An exchange of fire resulted "killing two of our constables and critically wounding another", he said.
He added that the attackers "ran away" but did not confirm if the attack was over, saying the area had been cordoned off and security forces were conducting a clearing operation.
"Police and Rangers have reached the site," added senior police official Pir Muhammad Shah.
Pictures posted to social media purportedly of the attack showed smoke rising from the area.
Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and a financial hub, was for years rife with political, sectarian and ethnic militancy.
A crackdown in the city by security forces in recent years has brought a lull in violence, but scattered attacks still take place.
China, one of Pakistan's closest allies, has poured billions into the South Asian country in recent years as part of a massive infrastructure project that seeks to connect its western province Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ast-and-gunshots-heard-near-chinese-consulate
Pakistan: two police officers killed in attack on Chinese consulate in Karachi
Smoke seen billowing into the air after blasts and gunshots heard near consulate
Guardian staff and agencies
Fri 23 Nov 2018 05.19 GMT Last modified on Fri 23 Nov 2018 06.32 GMT
Shares
24
Paramilitary forces and police are seen during an attack on the Chinese embassy in Karachi Photograph: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters
At least two policemen have been killed when unidentified gunmen stormed the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, officials said.
Several gunmen tried to enter the consulate but were intercepted by security guards at a checkpoint, senior local police official Javaid Alam Odho told AFP.
An exchange of fire resulted “killing two of our constables and critically wounding another”, he said.
Authorities said three suspected suicide bombers were killed before they were able to enter the facility. Police said they used a car bomb in the attack.
All 21 Chinese staff in the country’s consulate were safe and have been moved to a safer location, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. “There were three suicide attackers,” spokesman Jiand Baloch said.
“They stormed the Chinese embassy in Karachi. China is exploiting our resources.”
The BLA is just one of the militant groups operating in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, which is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.
Authorities initially said the attackers first opened fire at consulate guards and then managed to breach the main gate and enter the building.
'Honour' killings in Karachi shock Pakistan's largest city
Read more
“Two attackers have entered the visa section of the consulate, diplomats are safe,” a senior police officer told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Seemin Jamali, a doctor at the Jinnah Hospital in Karachi, said: “We have two cops brought dead and security guard injured due to blast impact.”
Footage taken at the scene showed smoke rising from the building and shots ringing out. Several other media reported gunfire by the consulate.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and a financial hub, was for years rife with political, sectarian and ethnic militancy.
A crackdown in the city by security forces in recent years has brought a lull in violence, but scattered attacks still take place.
China, one of Pakistan’s closest allies, has poured billions into the South Asian country in recent years as part of a massive infrastructure project that seeks to connect its western province Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea.
The Chinese consulate is located in the affluent Clifton neighbourhood, along with those of several other nations.
Reuters and AFP contributed to this report
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/23/asia/karachi-chinese-consulate-attack-intl/index.html
Four killed in Chinese consulate attack in Karachi
By Euan McKirdy and Sophia Saifi, CNN
Updated 0645 GMT (1445 HKT) November 23, 2018
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN)Armed attackers attempted to storm the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi Friday morning local time, killing four people, authorities said.
Three attackers were also killed in the assault on the consulate in the city's high-security red zone, according to a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman.
The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a tweet including a photo of three unidentified men and the message: "Karachi: Fidayeen of BLA attacked the Chinese embassy in Karachi." CNN does not have independent confirmation of the group's involvement.
Security was immediately ramped up at consulates all over Karachi, Sindh Governor Imran Ismael told CNN.
Two of the four victims were uniformed police officers, according to Seemi Jamali, the Head of Emergency at Jinnah Hospital. No Chinese nationals were among the dead, the hospital said.
'Brazen attack'
Ahsan Jamil, an equity portfolio manager at an investment firm whose office faces the Chinese consulate told CNN that the shots started around 9:15 local time (11.15 p.m. ET Thursday night) and lasted around 30 to 45 minutes.
He said the area is surrounded by schools, and that parents were being turned away by school staff because of the gunfire and explosions, but otherwise there were "no other signs of panic." He said he saw police cars driving towards the area.
When journalist Amir Latif, from Turkey's Anadolu News Agency, spoke to CNN he could still hear gunshots.
"(The consulate is in) a very heavily guarded area, the firing is still continuing and we can hear small blasts, which suggests the attackers are still engaged with security forces," Latif said.
"The firing is still continuing and the police have not made any official statement but eyewitnesses said there are three to four attackers, heavily armed attackers who tried to storm the Chinese consulate and still we can hear gunshots," Latif said.
It's unclear whether the terrorists were inside the compound or near the consulate.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi later confirmed that the operation to secure the Chinese compound was over.
"Our Chinese friends and officials -- around 21 people -- are all safe," he told a media briefing.
"The area is clear. Those who want to prevent peace in this country were brilliantly stalled by the young security officers of this country.
"Pakistan and China's friendship cannot be disturbed. Pakistan and China have joint security attempts to prevent such attempts at destroying the work that the two countries are working on."
He added that he hoped to speak to his Chinese counterpart "soon."'
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has conducted a low-level separatist insurgency against the state for nearly two decades.
The organization, which grew out of anger over the state's perceived monopoly of the province's mineral resources, previously have killed and kidnapped Chinese engineers working in the province.
Balochistan is at the core of the massive multi-billion dollar cooperation deal known as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
CNN's Bard Wilkinson contributed to this report.
