Alleged leader of Chinese consulate attack in Pakistan killed
Aslam Baloch, top Balochistan Liberation Army commander, was blamed for deadly attack on China's consulate in Karachi.
27 Dec 2018
Seven people were killed in the November attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi [File: Shakil Adil/AP Photo]
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A Pakistani separatist leader wanted over
an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi has been killed along with five others in a suicide blast in
Afghanistan, his group has confirmed.
Aslam Baloch, a top commander of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), was accused by Pakistani authorities of masterminding the November attack which left seven people dead.
He was killed on Tuesday along with five associates in a blast in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing a statement issued by the BLA late on Wednesday.
The group, one of the various armed groups fighting in Pakistan's restive
Balochistan province, has vowed to continue its fight for Baloch independence, AP reported.
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Kandahar police chief Tadin Khan confirmed to the AFP that the suicide bombing took place in Kandahar. Another Afghan official who spoke anonymously told the agency that Baloch and a second member of the BLA were the targets of the attack.
Pakistan's Samaa Television reported that Aslam was killed along with a number of his commanders in the suicide attack in Aino Maina.
Last month, three attackers stormed the Chinese consulate in Karachi, killing four people, including two policemen and as many civilians.
Security forces killed the three attackers, who carried explosives.
The BLA claimed the attack, labelling Beijing an "oppressor" and "making it clear that China's military expansionism on Baloch soil will not be tolerated".
It had warned the Chinese to leave or "be prepared for continued attacks".
China, one of
Pakistan's closest allies, has poured billions of dollars into the South Asian country in recent years as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (
CPEC), a massive infrastructure project that seeks to connect its western province of Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar in Balochistan province.
Counting the Cost - The China-Pakistan economic corridor (8:12)
Pakistan sees the project as a "gamechanger", but it presents an enormous challenge in a country plagued by weak institutions, endemic corruption and with a range of armed groups operating in areas hosting the corridor.
The subject of economic dividends from CPEC is extremely sensitive in some of those areas, particularly in Balochistan.
Since the beginning of the project, fighters have repeatedly attacked construction sites, blowing up numerous gas pipelines and trains and targeted Chinese workers.
Balochistan, on the borders of Afghanistan and Iran, has rich mineral and natural gas reserves but is Pakistan's poorest province.
Banned BLA leader killed in Kandahar suicide attack
Saleem ShahidUpdated December 27, 2018
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Reports say suicide attack was carried out at a house in Aino Maina area, an upscale locality of Kandahar. — File photo
QUETTA: Aslam Baloch alias Achhu, a key leader of the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the mastermind of the recent attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, has been killed along with five other leaders of the organisation in a suicide attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
According to reports, the suicide attack was carried out at a house in the Aino Maina area, an upscale locality of Kandahar, on Tuesday where the BLA leaders had gathered for a meeting.
A spokesman for the BLA, Jeeyand Baloch, on Wednesday confirmed the killing of Aslam along with five other leaders of the militant organisation. He said in a statement issued from an undisclosed place: “Aslam Baloch alias Achhu has been killed along with five other key leaders of the BLA in an attack.”
He identified the five slain militants as Sangat Sardaro alias Tajo, Karim Marri alias Rahim Baloch, Sangat Akhtar Baloch alias Rustam, Freed Baloch and Sadiq Baloch.
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Officials believe that Aslam alias Achhu was the
mastermind of the attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi and another suicide attack on a bus in the Dalbandin area of Chagai district which was carrying Chinese engineers and other staff to Quetta from Saindak this year.
Afghan Media reports said that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a house where Aslam and other BLA leaders were present. Aslam was injured in the attack and taken to hospital where he died.
Last year, he was injured during an operation launched by security forces in the Bolan area of Balochistan.
Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2018
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
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