Militants attack Pakistan air force base; 6 killed, 20 hurt

Militants in northwestern Pakistan attacked an air force base on the outskirts of Peshawar early Friday, triggering a shootout that left at least 20 wounded and six of the attackers dead, officials said.

The assault on the Badaber air base came as the army has been carrying out a major operation against local and foreign militants in North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The attackers stormed the guard room of the base, but the attack was quickly repulsed, said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa.

He said that six militants were killed and two soldiers wounded. A rescue officer said they transported at least 20 wounded to hospitals.

The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media, said so far there are no reports of women or children among the wounded.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Mohamad Khurasani, claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement to the media, he said their fighters gave safe exit to women and children after attacking the base.

He said that the Taliban targeted 50 security forces, but the claim could not be confirmed by government or military sources.

TV footage showed army helicopters hovering near the base, as police and troops surrounded the area. Local police officer Shahid Khan Bangash said a large explosion was heard after the militants tried to storm the base. "We are hearing that the attackers were armed with guns and rockets," he said.

Bangash said the attackers threw grenades at the guard room but they could not enter the main area.

He said the firing had stopped and a search operation for militants who might be hiding was under way. He did not say how many attackers were involved.

The Badaber air base, located on the edge of Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was not functional and it was mostly being used as a residential place for the employees and officers of the air force. The base was established in 1960s.

The attack came a day after a counter-terrorism officer Junaid Khan in Karachi said they had arrested a militant who recently made a failed attempt to target an air force facility in Kamra in the northwest. He identified the arrested person as Umar Hayat and said officers were still questioning him.

 

 

AP