Chairing a high level meeting held here Thursdayto discuss the proposed plan for running a cultural caravan from Urmchi in China to Gawadar comprising artists, musicians, dancers, photographers, anthropologists, writers and film makers from both the co...

ISLAMABAD �Islamic State has released a video showing the bloodied body of a captive Chinese national the terrorist group claimed to have killed along with his female partner in southwestern Pakistan.

A provincial government official confirmed to VOA that the man who seems to be taking his last breaths in the video is one of the two Chinese kidnapped last month from Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he said that authorities have not yet found the bodies of the Chinese nationals, and he would like to abstain from making any official assertions on the fate of the two foreigners.

China briefed by Pakistan

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing Friday that Beijing has been told by Islamabad the two abductees are probably dead.

"Pakistan's relevant side has provided China with some information and said these two kidnapped Chinese citizens have likely already been murdered. We are gravely concerned about this," she said.

Chunying added that Beijing is in contact with the Pakistani side and trying to learn more about and verify the situation by all means.

Islamic State's global media outlet, the Amaq News Agency, announced Thursday the group had executed the two captives in Mastung, a district about 50 kilometers south of Quetta.

Would-be headquarters destroyed

The Syria-based terrorist group issued the claim hours after Pakistani authorities announced a major military operation had destroyed a would-be IS headquarters in a rugged mountain range near Mastung.

The raid killed 12 hardcore militants while five security personnel were also wounded during clashes, an army spokesman said.

He added that the multi-cave complex spread across 10 kilometers was occupied by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami, a Sunni extremist organization known for deadly attacks against minority Shi'ite Muslims in Pakistan.

The group used to be an al-Qaida loyalist, but Pakistani officials believe it has lately been working to help IS establish a foothold in Pakistan.

IS has taken credit for several recent deadly suicide bombings in Baluchistan and elsewhere in Pakistan. The latest such attack took place last month in Mastung, killing 25 people.

The military said the suicide bomber had been sent from the IS base security forces neutralized last week. Pakistani officials have long insisted IS has no organized presence in the country.

But a string of attacks and a major base the army destroyed in Mastung contradict officials claims, critics say.

The army also released video footage of the IS base it raided. A bomb-making facility was also destroyed, and security forces seized 50 kilograms of explosives, suicide vests, grenades, machine guns, sniper rifles and communication systems, according to an official statement.

Belt and Road

Baluchistan, particularly its newly expanded deep-water port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, is at the heart of a $60 billion Chinese-funded Belt and Road trade and development initiative.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) consists of a network of roads, rail links and power plants. It will ultimately link China's western Xinjiang region to Gwadar, giving Beijing the shortest trade access to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

But as the work on CPEC-related projects has picked up, the Pakistani province is encountering an uptick in militant and separatist violence.

Thursday's announcement by IS, if confirmed, would increase worries among Chinese experts and workers associated with CPEC-related projects.

Pakistani officials acknowledge that the gruesome killings of the two Chinese will have a psychological impact on the joint economic activity but said the two nations are determined not to be deterred by such terrorist acts.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated the resolve while addressing a regional cooperation summit Friday in Kazakhstan.

We are diligently implementing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a flagship of the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), Sharif told the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCOA), which is jointly led by China and Russia.

Source: Voice of America

Prime Minister Muhammad NawazSharif Thursday hoped that the outcome of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit would result in paving the way for cooperation and economic prosperity of the people of the region.He was talking to Presi...

Prime Minister MuhammadNawaz Sharif Thursday said Pakistan cherished its close, friendlyand fraternal relations with Uzbekistan, as both the countries arebound by strong commonalities of history, faith and culture.Pakistan is keen to further expand tie...

WASHINGTON � Local residents joined forces with Afghan Taliban militants to repel an Islamic State attack in a remote district in eastern Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden once took refuge, according to local tribesmen.

Late Friday, after about three days of fierce fighting in the mountains, IS fighters reportedly retreated to scattered villages after suffering dozens of casualties.

The battles began Tuesday when IS fighters attacked Taliban positions in the Tora Bora mountains in the Pachiragam district of eastern Nangarhar province that borders Pakistan. Locals, who see IS militants as a threat to their region, came to the aid of the Taliban with militias to push out IS.

Taliban gains control

Tora Bora, known for its complex set of mountain caves, was the site of a U.S. military offensive in December 2001, where al-Qaida's leader, Osama bin Laden, was reportedly hiding before he managed to cross into neighboring Pakistan. The Taliban has gained control of much of Tora Bora in recent years as it gains ground in rural areas against Afghan troops, which have largely retreated.

Lacking an Afghan government military presence in the area, locals have taken up arms to fight IS to defend their lands, Nangarhar government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told VOA.The fighting displaced about 500 families, he added.

Pachiragam, neighboring districts

IS militants have repeatedly stormed villages in the Pachiragam and neighboring districts, killing and abducting hundreds of people, setting homes and markets on fire, keeping local schools shuttered, and displacing thousands of people. A provincial government source told VOA the central government will supply weapons to the villagers.

Based in southern parts of eastern Nangarhar province, IS's self-styled Khorasan Province branch (ISIS-K) emerged in early 2015 in the mountainous areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last year, it had a presence in at least 12 Nangarhar districts.

IS and the Taliban have engaged in frequent clashes in Nangarhar and some areas in northern Jouzjan province, where IS is attempting to establish a footprint.

Civilians caught in crossfire

Fierce clashes between the two rival groups in the Chaparhar district of Nangarhar last month left 21 Taliban fighters and seven IS militants dead, spokesman Khogyani said. At least three civilians who were caught in the crossfire were killed and five others wounded.

IS has expanded its presence and activities to neighboring Kunar province.

Provincial police chief Juma Gul Hemat told VOA's Afghan service that up to 2,000 IS fighters are active in several districts. He added that the terror group has established a training base in the Patash valley, where foreign fighters, including Arabs and Pakistanis, train recruits.

Source: Voice of America

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