UN chief "appalled" by attack on foreign tourists in Pakistan

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged the government of Pakistan to take immediate measures on the perpetrators of the violent attack that led to 11 deaths, saying he was "appalled" by the killing. Ban was appalled by the reported killing on Sunday of a group of foreign climbers in the area of Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan and extended his condolences, said a statement issued by his spokesperson. "While reiterating the support of the United Nations to the government of Pakistan in the face of terrorism and extremism, he urges it to take immediate measures to bring the perpetrators to justice and to ensure security," the statement said. Unidentified gunmen opened fire at tourists in a hotel near the base camp of Nanga Parbat, a mountain in Pakistan's northern area that is popular among adventurous travelers. The attack killed 11 people, among whom 10 were foreigners. The incident occurred near the border between China and Pakistani Kashmir. The identities of four foreign tourists have been determined. They were two Chinese nationals, one Chinese American and one Nepalese. Later on Sunday, the Pakistani Taliban claimed it had carried out the attack to avenge the death of their deputy leader in a U.S. drone strike in May. In his statement, the UN chief expressed his deep concern over the mounting terrorist attacks and bombings in Pakistan, which in the past several weeks alone have claimed the lives of dozens of civilians. The country has witnessed a series of violence over the past few weeks. A female bomber attacked a bus of a women's university in the southwestern city of Quetta on June 15th, killing 14 students. Just two days later, at least 28 people died in attacks in the same city.