The Nanga Parbat mountains in northern Pakistan are the ninth highest mountains in the world. For a long time now, they have attracted world class mountaineers and tourists.
Even this haven of tranquillity has now been shattered. Militant gunmen yesterday entered a hotel where both guides and mountaineers were staying as they waited for the climb and killed nine people. Six of the killed were Russian citizens, three were Chinese.
Another 50 climbers are scattered on the mountains, and Pakistani forces are trying to reach them to lift them to safety, in the case the militants decide to follow them too.
15 heavily armed gunmen in official police uniforms attacked the Diamir Camp base of the Nanga Parbat on Saturday night.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by a Jundul Hafsa affiliate group, who are claiming the attack is in retaliation for the recent drone attacks in the region. In fact, a recent drone attack in the area, did kill the Taliban's deputy leader, Waliur Rehman.
The area of the Ganga Parbat was one of the few areas where tourists and climbers still flocked. Most of the other tourist areas have been all but deserted, since the recent terrorist attacks against visiting foreigners and Pakistani police alike. However, the lure of conquering Ganga Parbat still attracted scores of mountaineers and enthusiast, who felt they were far away enough from civilization to avoid at least the worse of the violence that has marred Pakistan for so long.
According to guides and expedition organizers, a sudden change in the weather might have saved the remaining 50 climbers. Just before the terrorist strike, the weather took a turn for the worse, but then it improved so that the climbers set out in earnest, with only a few still behind at base camp. If the weather had not improved, most of the climbers would have been caught in the terrorist snare at the hotel base camp, together with the victims.
Source : The Independent UK/ 6.23.13
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