On September 5 local time, Pakistani officials revealed to the media that the mastermind behind the attack on Nanga Parbat mountaineers had been arrested. This militant had previously served as the leader of the Pakistani Taliban in the Chilas region.
On June 23 this year, 10 foreign tourists and one guide were shot dead near the Nanga Parbat climbing camp. Among the victims were two Chinese citizens, one Chinese-American, five Ukrainians, one Russian, and one Chinese citizen who survived. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack the same day. Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan stated that the attack was carried out by an armed faction affiliated with the Taliban, aimed at avenging the death of Taliban leader Mullah Waliur Rehman, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in May.
On the day of the incident, militants kidnapped two Pakistani guides and used them to access the climbers’ camp. Disguised as police, the militants called the foreign tourists outside, took their passports and money, and then shot and killed 10 of the tourists. Soon after, they also shot and killed one of the guides. The other guide survived.
A total of three Chinese mountaineers were climbing Nanga Parbat in Pakistan: Yang Chunfeng, Rao Jianfeng, and Zhang Jingchuan, along with one Chinese-American, Liu Honglu (phonetic). Except for Zhang Jingchuan, the other three unfortunately lost their lives in the attack.
The survivor, Zhang Jingchuan, is from Kunming, Yunnan, a civilian mountaineering enthusiast whose profession is in the civil service.
-Victims
Yang Chunfeng, 45 years old
Since summiting Mount Everest in 2007, he completed 11 peaks above 8,000 meters in just six years, including the notorious K2 (the world’s second-highest peak, at 8,611 meters), Kangchenjunga, and Annapurna. He was just three peaks away from completing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter summits, and Nanga Parbat was the 12th such peak he attempted.
Rao Jianfeng, 49 years old
Former general manager of Shenzhen Techand Real Estate, he has summitted 10 peaks over 8,000 meters, including four between April and July 2012: Annapurna, Makalu, Lhotse, and K2.