Islamic militants disguised as police murdered nine international mountain climbers who went to Pakistan to scale one of the world’s highest peaks.

The local branch of the Taliban took responsibility for the killings, saying it was in revenge for the death of a leader killed by a recent US drone strike.

“By killing foreigners, we wanted to give a message to the world to play their role in bringing an end to the drone attacks," said Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan.

The government says it will protect all international tourists in Pakistan.  The murder victims were five Ukrainians, three Chinese and one Russian.

The climbers were murdered at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, which at more than 8,100 meters is the ninth highest mountain in the world and notoriously difficult to climb.

The gunmen were wearing uniforms used by the Gilgit Scouts, a paramilitary police force that patrols the area, said the interior minister. The attackers abducted two local guides to find their way to the remote base camp. One of the guides was killed in the shooting, and the other has been detained and is being questioned.