Pakistan: Suicide attack targets vehicle carrying five Japanese nationals in Karachi
- In Reports
- 04:52 PM, Apr 19, 2024
- Myind Staff
Police in Karachi, Pakistan's port city, reported on Friday that a van carrying five Japanese autoworkers was targeted by two suicide bombers, although all occupants escaped unharmed.
A senior police officer informed reporters that the autoworkers were en route to an industrial zone in Karachi early in the morning when their bulletproof vehicle came under attack.
"Initial investigations suggest that one terrorist approached the van and detonated himself while another opened fire," stated Azfar Mahesar, an area deputy inspector general of Karachi police. He added that two security guards accompanying the Japanese workers retaliated and fatally shot the bomber’s accomplice.
Mahesar further mentioned that police recovered the remains of the suicide bomber from the attack site and an investigation was initiated to identify both assailants.
After the incident, a subsequent police statement confirmed the safety of all foreign guests and expressed gratitude for their well-being. However, one of the guards was injured in the attack, and several bystanders were reportedly also harmed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault and offered prayers for the swift recovery of those injured, as stated by his office in Islamabad.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the southern Sindh province.
The violence occurred a day after militants ambushed and killed six customs officers in the turbulent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Officials reported that on Thursday, a team from the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Customs was conducting an "intelligence-based" operation in the militancy-hit Dera Ismail Khan district when their vehicle came under attack.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of customs officers who were countering militant networks smuggling weapons into the district and surrounding areas bordering Afghanistan.
Last month, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of Chinese engineers and workers in the province’s Kohistan district, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver.
The foreigners were working on the Chinese-funded Dasu Dam, Pakistan's largest hydropower project.
Pakistan alleges that fugitive leaders and fighters of anti-Pakistan militant groups have found refuge in Afghanistan, intensifying cross-border attacks since the Taliban regained control.
The Taliban deny the allegations, stating they do not permit the use of Afghan soil to threaten neighbouring countries, including Pakistan.
Image source: VOA News
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