Target China? Gunmen Open Fire At Pakistan Port, 2 Attackers Killed

Quetta (Pakistan): Unidentified gunmen opened fire at Pakistan’s Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) complex in Balochistan province on Wednesday, Reuters reported quoting Geo News.

Security forces managed to neutralise two assailants, though it was not clear whether other attackers escaped.

According to a report in Dawn, several others were involved in the attack as a heavy gunbattle erupted with security personnel. There was a blast before the exchange of fire, which continued for at least half an hour.

The attack is even more significant as Gwadar port is a key part of the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan.

China made heavy investments under its Belt and Road Initiative in mineral-rich Balochistan, including development of Gwadar port, a decades-long separatist insurgency in the area notwithstanding.

Terrorist groups in Pakistan have been attacking Chinese targets over a year or so. Last August, a convoy of Chinese workers in Gwadar was attacked, with banned separatist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claiming responsibility.

BLA reportedly claimed responsibility for the latest attack as well.

Gwadar is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea. Situated at the heart of the city, the GPA Complex houses various offices crucial to the operations of the port, alongside facilities for law enforcement agencies and staff residences.