Gwadar gunmen kill five in Pakistan terrorist attack at Pearl Continental hotel

Death toll in terror attack on luxury Pakistan hotel rises to five including a special forces soldier

  • The Pakistan Army has confirmed five people were killed in an attack on a hotel
  • Three gunmen stormed the Pearl Continental in the city of Gwadar on Saturday
  • All three men were killed by security forces after an eight-hour long shootout 
  • Responsibility for the terrorist attack was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army

One of the three gunmen who were killed after storming the Continental Pearl hotel in Gwadar, Pakistan. The gunmen killed five people 

Pakistan’s Army says the death toll has risen to five people in the attack by insurgents on a luxury hotel in the country’s Southwestern coast.

Three gunmen stormed the Pearl Continental hotel in the city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing three staff members, a hotel security guard and a special forces soldier. 

A further six people, including two soldiers, suffered injuries.  

All three gunmen were killed after an eight-hour shootout with Pakistan security forces.

Forces also completed a widescale military operation to defuse explosive devices left behind by the attackers.

The country’s military forces released a statement on Sunday clarifying that there were only three gunmen involved and not four as previously thought. 

A Baloch separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility Saturday for the attack, releasing photos of the insurgents who it said took part.

Prime Minister Imran Khan called the attack an act of terrorism and praised the ‘initial response by security guards and security forces’ for preventing greater loss of life. 

The country's army undertook a widescale operation to clear the hotel and defuse explosive devices

The country’s army undertook a widescale operation to clear the hotel and defuse explosive devices 

The Baloch Liberation Army have been waging armed struggle against the state of Pakistan since 2004 in a bid for self-determination for the Baloch people.

The Baloch are an ethnic minority group in Pakistan, with historical links to Persia, whose population is mostly located in the province of Balochistan. 

An inside shot of the Continental Pearl hotel in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Saturday

An inside shot of the Continental Pearl hotel in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Saturday 

Residents of Balochistan and other areas accuse the central government of favouring the country’s Punjab province, home to some 60 percent of the country’s 200 million people and most of the political elite. 

Gwadar, where the attack took place, is within Balochistan.

The Pearl Continental hotel in Gwadar is located in Balochistan - the province where the separatist group is based

The Pearl Continental hotel in Gwadar is located in Balochistan – the province where the separatist group is based

Armed Baloch separatists carried out a dozen attacks last year against Chinese-linked projects in the past year.

Beijing is financing tens of billions of dollars’ worth of megaprojects in Pakistan and is currently helping build a modern port in Gwadar, 600 kilometers (373 miles) west of Karachi.  

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