Militants kill one engineer in pre-dawn Pak airport attack

Heavily armed militants today attacked an airport and its radar system in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province, killing one aviation engineer while kidnapping the manager of the airport.

A group of around 12 motorbike-borne militants launched a pre-dawn attack on the Jiwani airport in Gwadar district, some 980 kilometers from Quetta and the site of Pakistan's upcoming port-city where China has made huge investments.

Police said that an aviation engineer was killed and another engineer was injured in the attack while the militants also kidnapped Mehmood Niazi, the manager of the airport.

"Around 12 armed men on six motorcycles attacked the airport at around 4:30 am killing a Civil Aviation Authority engineer," Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed Abro said, adding "four local Baloch were also present at the airport at the time but were spared by the attackers".

The radar system of the airport has also been destroyed.
The injured engineer was airlifted for treatment in Karachi.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch has condemned the attack.
"Those responsible for the attack will be traced and punished," the Chief Minister said.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack suspected to be the handiwork of Baloch nationalists, who regularly attack Pakistani security forces and installations in the province.

Last year, armed men in security forces' uniform attacked the international radar system in the coastal town of Pasni in Gwadar killing one security man and injuring another.

Militants had also attacked the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi in June last year in which 36 people were killed, including 10 militants.