The Islamic State (ISIS) on Thursday claimed the responsibility for killing the two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped from south-west Pakistan last month.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the claim was made by ISIS-linked Amaq news agency and reported by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors Jihadist communications.
The two Chinese are said to have been studying Urdu at a language centre in the city of Quetta when they were abducted. Another Chinese woman just managed to escape during the confrontation between the abductors and the two Chinese nationals.
Balochistan has witnessed kidnappings of many foreign nationals in recent years by armed Islamists or separatist groups, sometimes for a ransom and it has created security threats for many Chinese nationals who are working on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in the region.
Meanwhile, China has expressed grave concern over the reported killing of two of its nationals.
"We have taken note of relevant reports and we express our grave concern. We have been trying to rescue the two kidnapped hostages over the past days," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
