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Nine militants killed in Pakistan air base attack
Thursday August 16, 2012 11:18:58 PM,
IANS
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Islamabad: Nine militants were killed Thursday in
Pakistan's Punjab province after they attacked a key airbase of
the country. Banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) later
claimed responsibility for it, Geo News reported.
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Tariq Mahmood confirmed that
troops secured the airbase approximately eight hours after the
attack.
The militants, who were wearing military uniform and lugging
sophisticated weapons, were killed as security forces completed
the operation at the PAF Kamra airbase, located some 70 km from
Islamabad.
Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan said all the
attackers were Pakistani and the plan had been hatched some time
ago.
Citing sources Geo News, however, reported all the dead militants
had been identified as foreigners.
The incident occurred early Thursday (about 2.00 a.m.) when
militants stormed into the runway area of the PAF Base Minhas from
the direction of a nearby village and attacked. It was followed by
a fierce gun-battle between security forces and assailants.
The militants used hand grenades and rockets and badly damaged an
aircraft. However, security officials managed to keep the
militants away from damaging other aircraft during the attack.
One security official died during the attack while Base Commander
Air Commodore Mohammad Azam, who oversaw and participated in the
operation, suffered injuries.
According to a media report, about 30 aircraft normally remain
parked at Kamra airbase
While reports said that one aircraft was destroyed in the attack,
the PAF spokesperson denied it, adding that the attackers failed
to reach any of the planes.
The attack was initiated when the militants were stopped at a
checkpost. They had successfully crossed three checkposts. They
were stopped at the fourth one after which they opened fire and
hurled grenades.
BBC said that Kamra is one of Pakistan's biggest airbases with
fighter jets, including new JF-17 planes, being assembled there.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja
Pervez Ashraf strongly condemned the attack.
In May 2011, a group of militants had launched an attack on an
airbase in the country's port city of Karachi, in which at least
one US-made P-3C Orion plane was destroyed and a number of
security personnel were killed and wounded.
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