Iran Condemns Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi condemned a terrorist bomb blast at a market in northwestern Pakistan and a suicide attack on the Chinese consulate general in Karachi.

News ID: 73906

Date: 24 November 2018 - 13:07

In a statement released on Friday, Qassemi denounced the terror incidents and hailed the vigilance of Pakistani security forces, who foiled the suicide attack on the Chinese consulate general in Karachi.

The spokesman also offered his condolences to the Pakistani people and government as well as the bereaved families of the victims of the terrorist blast in Pakistan’s northwestern district of Orakzai.

Qassemi stressed the need for more serious joint efforts by all countries to combat “the sinister phenomenon of terrorism”.

The death toll from Friday’s suicide blast targeting a local market in lower Orakzai district rose to 33 as two more injured persons succumbed to their wounds at a local hospital, Pakistani media said.

A local health official confirmed the death toll, saying that 56 injured of the blast were under treatment at the hospital.

In the other incident, armed attackers attempted to storm the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday morning, killing four people, authorities said.

Three attackers also were killed in the assault on the consulate in the city's high-security red zone, according to a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman.

The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group, claimed responsibility in a tweet that included a photo of three unidentified men and the message: "Karachi: Fidayeen of BLA attacked the Chinese embassy in Karachi."

In a statement released after the attack, the group said its objectives were "clear -- we will not tolerate any Chinese military expansionist endeavors on Baloch soil."

Two of the four victims were uniformed police officers, according to Seemi Jamali, the head of emergency at Jinnah Hospital. No Chinese nationals were among the dead, the hospital said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack, ordering a "complete inquiry."

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