Taliban claims responsibility for killing Chinese woman in Pak

The Pakistani Taliban today claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese woman in the northwestern city of Peshawar, saying she was shot dead in retaliation for alleged atrocities by Chinese forces in restive Xinjiang province.

Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Afridi told the media that the woman was killed to avenge "atrocities" by Chinese security forces in Xinjiang, where 20 people died in violence earlier this week.

Police in Peshawar have said they believe militants were behind the killing of the Chinese woman and her Pakistani companion in a crowded market in Peshawar on Tuesday.

Hua Jiang, the 42-year-old Chinese woman, was shot dead with Suleman Shams, a student of the prestigious Government College in Lahore.

Reports said the Chinese woman was a student of Beijing University and was on a vacation in Peshawar. Shams was apparently acting as her interpreter.

This was the second attack on Chinese nationals in Peshawar in a little over four years.

Three Chinese men were killed in the city in July 2007.

China's Foreign Office has taken the incident seriously and called on Pakistan to investigate the crime and spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

It also sought "credible measures" to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and nationals in Pakistan.