Militants attack Pakistani military convoy escorting Chinese nationals

Militants attacked a Pakistani military convoy near the strategic southwestern port of Gwadar on Sunday as it was escorting a delegation of Chinese nationals to a construction project, the military and a security source said.

China has invested heavily under its Belt and Road Initiative in the mineral-rich province of Balochistan, including developing the deepwater port of Gwadar, despite a decades-long separatist insurgency in the area.

"Terrorists used small arms and hand grenades during the activity," the military's public relations wing said in a statement, adding that two militants were killed and no harm was caused to any military personnel or civilians.

China's consulate in the southern city of Karachi condemned the attack, adding in a statement that there were no casualties among its citizens on the convoy.

A Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed two attackers died in a gun battle, without any injuries in the convoy. The attack targeted Chinese passengers travelling from Gwadar airport towards a construction site in the port area, the source said.

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Gwadar is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea, and is being developed under Chinese management.