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The great Nanga Parbat Mountain loomed over the sixteen Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. It had taken them several days to reach the base camp where the foreign tourists had settled prior to climbing the mountain. Most individuals intent on climbing the Nanga Parbat congregated at this level spot of ground to acclimate to the increased elevation before continuing the ascent. The camp was situated at the base of the ninth-highest mountain in the world. At 4,200 meters (14,000 feet) above sea level, the base camp could only be reached by foot or horseback, although most often climbers used a combination of both methods.
Horses had brought the militants to a small village within a kilometer of the base camp. From there, they walked to the camp clad in heavy boots.
Typically, more climbers frequented the base camp between the months of June and August when the weather was often more moderate and less dangerous for mountain climbing. However, the Taliban didn’t rely on mere chance in either planning or executing this mission. Days before, they had abducted two Pakistani guides who informed them who was currently at the camp. In order to protect the secrecy of this mission, both guides had been terminated and left dead on the side of the mountain. The terrorists’ main interest was in kidnapping one climber, Chen Honglu. He held both Chinese and American citizenship. The terrorists planned to trade Honglu for a Taliban commander being held in Afghanistan.
The militants huddled near the camp’s perimeter. The leader of the group, Farwan Shallah, asked his men in Pashto, their native language, “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” each of his men whispered in Pashto.
It was 10:00 P.M., and the temperature was in the single digits. Given the increased elevation, there was surprisingly little wind, which made the wind-chill tolerable.
Shallah peeked over the top of the rock to ensure there was no activity at the camp that might threaten the success of their mission.
Addressing his men once again, he said, “This is in revenge for the killing of Sheikh bin Laden.”
Shallah stepped from behind his hiding spot, and his men followed him into the heart of the camp. Quickly, the soldiers began rousing the climbers from their tents, yelling at them in Pashto. They jabbed their weapons at the tourists to get them to vacate their tents faster.
During the melee, a man darted from one of the tents and tackled one of the TTP soldiers. The militant scrambled to his feet, raised his rifle and shot the man. Death was mercifully instantaneous. Chen Honglu had crumpled, leaving a mass of brain matter and blood turning the virgin snow crimson.
This unexpected show of power and bravado helped further induce fear into the remaining bewildered and frightened tourists. Once all climbers had been extracted from their tents, Shallah ordered his men to tie up the hostages.
Farwan Shallah asked the terrified and subdued men, “Do you have money?”
All ten captives responded in unison, “Yes, we have some money.” A few used the word Euros instead of the word money.
Shallah approached one of the climbers and poked him in his chest with the barrel of his assault rifle. He asked the tall and lean mountaineer, “Where is the money?”
“In that tent,” the Ukrainian responded, doing his best to remain calm and making a point not to let his voice waver.
The Ukrainian led Shallah to the tent, which contained a communal safe used for the climbers’ money and valuables. While Shallah seized the money and anything of value, the militants lined up the bound captives in the middle of the camp.
“You have our money; now please, let us go,” the Ukrainian urged in a composed tone. Shallah had expected the climbers to become unhinged; however, the men were climbers accustomed to facing death on the side of mountain. Each had nerves of steel. Knowing the area’s politics, this robbery didn’t necessarily intimidate them. Nevertheless, this group of religious zealots had already killed one from their group, demonstrating they had nothing to lose.
Behind Farwan Shallah, his men were busy destroying the climbers’ cell phones, satellite phones and two-way radios. They had collected passports and personal identification papers, which were placed into a small pack one of the militants wore. The wind picked up and the climbers, who were not suitably dressed for being outside of their tents, began to tremble from both the cold and shock.
In English Shallah demanded of the climbers, “Which one of you is Honglu Chen from America?”
The Ukrainian pointed down at the man who now lay dead in the snow.
Shallah turned back toward his man who had shot the Chinese-American and yelled obscenities in Pashto at the soldier. He desperately wanted to shoot him. Instead, he took out his frustration on the frightened tourists standing before him.
Without warning, Shallah shot one of the Ukrainian climbers. It was a single quick shot to the man’s heart, instantly dropping him. Then, as if the blast of gunfire had signaled the beginning of a horror show, other militants began to unload their guns on the tourists. As the climbers endured serious injuries, the TTP shouted, “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and “Osama bin Laden Zindabad” (Long live Osama bin Laden).
After several bursts of automatic weapon fire, Shallah held up his hand and called out, “Stop! Stop shooting.” The leader of the group turned to take inventory of the climbers who remained alive.
Surviving climbers pleaded for their lives with Shallah, exclaiming, “I am not American! I am not American!”
Shallah did not respond to the cries of the infidels. Instead, he walked down the line of those already dead, firing a single round into each of their heads—execution style. He addressed those who were still miraculously alive.
“Today, these people were slaughtered in revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden.”
Farwan Shallah and his men clicked their weapons to full auto and fired on the remaining captives. In total, those massacred included Honglu—the Chinese-American, two Chinese, three Ukrainians, two Slovaks, one Lithuanian, one Sherpa from Nepal and a Muslim Pakistani cook. These were in addition to the two Pakistani abductees who had already been killed.
This day’s tragic execution of eleven tourists at the hands of the TTP militants at the Gilgit base camp became known as the Nanga Parbat massacre.