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Nine tourists shot at north Pakistan mountain base camp
BBC News - Nine tourists killed at north Pakistan mountain camp
BBC News - Nine tourists killed at north Pakistan mountain camp
The nationalities of the victims have not been fully confirmed, although they include a number of Ukrainians and Chinese. One Pakistani also died.
The assault happened at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the world's ninth highest mountain, in Gilgit-Baltistan.
It is the first such attack on tourists in the region. The Pakistani Taliban has told the BBC it was responsible.
A spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of its second-in-command, Waliur Rehman, who died in a suspected US drone strike in May.
The group said it would continue to target foreigners.
Part of the Himalayan Range, Nanga Parbat, standing at 8,126m (26,660ft), is popular with trekkers and mountaineers, especially during June and July.
The assault is seen as a significant blow for Pakistan's already struggling tourist industry, the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani reports from Islamabad.
Gilgit-Baltistan forms part of the larger disputed Kashmir region, which has been the subject of conflict between India and Pakistan since both countries declared independence in 1947.
In recent years, the region has suffered a spate of attacks by militants targeting Pakistan's Shia Muslim minority.
Remote area
A senior government official told the BBC that one of the victims may have been a US citizen of Chinese origin.
A Chinese tourist survived the assault.
The trekkers had planned to climb Nanga Parbat in the coming days, the operator said.
Some 40 climbers are currently reported to be on the mountain.
Up to 20 attackers, reportedly dressed in local paramilitary uniforms, stormed the hotel at the base camp in the foothills of Nanga Parbat shortly after midnight.
"Unknown people entered a hotel where foreign tourists were staying last night and opened fire," Ali Sher, a senior police officer, told Reuters.
The gunmen tied up local Pakistani staff and told them not to attempt to raise the alarm until morning, local official said.
