At least 20 killed, 7 injured in attack on coal miners

Karachi: At least 20 miners were killed and 7 injured in an attack by armed men on a small private coal mine in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Friday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack

‘A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons. They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well,’ said Humayun Khan, the police station house officer for the town, located east of the city of Quetta.

As per police, the attackers gathered the miners at one place and opened fire on them. They also set mining machinery on fire.

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The mineral-rich region borders Afghanistan and Iran and has been troubled for decades as Baloch insurgent groups fight against the state.

Two Chinese nationals working for a power plant were killed and a third injured in an explosion near the international airport in the southern city of Karachi earlier this week.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of several insurgent groups battling the government, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The BLA is seeking independence for the province of Balochistan, in Pakistan’s southwest and bordering Afghanistan and Iran. The group considers Pakistan’s control of the province as an ‘occupation’. BLA specifically targets Chinese interests, including infrastructure projects and Chinese workers in the region. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. In August, it launched coordinated attacks in the province, in which more than 70 people were killed.