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PAKISTAN-UNREST
At least six killed in attack on Pakistan oil workers – officials
QUETTA, Pakistan, Oct 15, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – At least six people were killed Thursday when a convoy of oil workers was ambushed by gunmen in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, officials said.
The province, bordering Afghanistan and Iran, is the poorest in the country despite being rich with oil and gas, and remains home to Islamist, separatist and sectarian insurgents.
Paramilitary troops and workers from the state Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL) were among those killed in the attack on a highway in Gwadar, a senior official told AFP.
“The death toll may rise,” he said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
A second official confirmed the incident and details.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan is key to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of Beijing’s regional Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
The corridor seeks to connect China’s western province of Xinjiang with Gwadar, giving Beijing access to the Arabian Sea.
The province’s roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1925 hrs