Heavily armed militants stormed PAF Base Minhas at Kamra on Thursday, sparking clashes that left 10 people dead and raised concerns about the safety of the country’s nuclear arsenal.
One security official was killed and a plane damaged in the pre-dawn assault at the base, where suspected militants again showed their ability to penetrate a sensitive military site five years into a Taliban insurgency.
There has been a lull in recent attacks, but speculation is now heavy that Pakistan could bow to US demands for an operation against militants in their premier fortress of North Waziristan, in the tribal belt on the Afghan border.
An official denied there were nuclear weapons on the heavily guarded base, but the audacious assault would likely raise further questions in the West about the dangers of Pakistan’s atomic weapons falling into extremists’ hands.
The Pakistan Air Force said nine attackers dressed in military uniforms and armed with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests targeted the base and adjacent Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at 2:00 am (2100 GMT Wednesday).
The complex assembles Mirage and, with Chinese help, JF-17 fighter jets.
PAF Minhas, in the town of Kamra in Punjab province 60 kilometres (35 miles) northwest of Islamabad, has been attacked twice before.
“Eight miscreants were killed inside the Minhas base boundary wall and one miscreant exploded himself outside the perimeters where he was hiding,” the air force announced in an updated statement.
It said there had been a shootout “for more than two hours” and 10 hours after the assault began, spokesman Tariq Mahmood confirmed the base was “totally safe”.
Witnesses said the attackers came round the back, exploiting the holiest night of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan to remain undetected as long as possible.
“Most of the male residents (from the village at the back) were in mosques for special prayers,” local resident Athar Abbas told Express Television.
“I heard three or four explosions, there was heavy gunfire also,” he said. “It appears that the militants arrived using a village track and climbed over the wall.”
One officer told AFP that he saw flames after waking up for his Sehri.
“There was an announcement by megaphone for soldiers not to move from the barracks and we were forbidden from going to the area where I saw the fire,” he said. Special forces and police were scrambled to the scene.
Air force spokesman Mahmood said one security official had been killed, and the base commander wounded in the shoulder. Previous militant assaults on Pakistani military bases have exacted far higher casualty tolls.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Pakistani Taliban have targeted a string of military bases since rising up against the government in July 2007.
In May 2011, it took 17 hours to quell an attack on an air base in Karachi claimed by the Taliban, piling embarrassment on the armed forces just three weeks after US troops killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Thursday’s attack was the second in weeks to see troops die near the relatively secure capital. Gunmen on July 9 killed seven security personnel who had camped by a river less than 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Islamabad.
Pakistan has been on alert for independence day on Tuesday and the Muslim festival of Eid, which is expected to begin at the weekend.
On Tuesday, the head of the army, General Ashraf Kayani, used his independence day address to describe the war on terror as “our own war and a just war too” — not an American conflict as often portrayed.
He said “no state can afford a parallel system of governance and militias”, and called on the nation to stand united or face the risk of a “civil war situation”.
Pakistan says 35,000 of its people, including more than 3,000 soldiers, have been killed as a result of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks and the 2001 US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan.
The base in Kamra was previously targeted on October 23, 2009 when a suicide bomber killed six civilians and two Pakistan Air Force personnel at a checkpoint.
On December 10, 2007, at least five children of base employees were wounded when a suicide car bomber struck a school bus.
Hats of to SSG and PAF Commandos! Operation well completed.
They handled this attack very well and proved that they learnt a lot from Mehran base incident!
Well done Pak Army. Proud of you.
The Govt should not only look at the terrorists' links to Al-Qaeda and Taliban but with the India RAW as well as attacks on Pakistani forces serve the Indian agenda. Dr Ahmad Rashid Malik – Islamabad.
Dr. Sb this was my earliest comment. I am positive that both Mehran base and this one are linked with RAW style attack, where defense assets are targeted instead of number of humans.
These RAW, Mosad, Burkina Faso theories had been used by establishment to cover their incompetencies. Now there is a realization in military (read Kiani's last speech in PMA) that the real threat is from inside. Means the snakes started biting the hands who had been feeding them for the last 20 years.
Love you my Pakistan from the deepest core of my heart. May my life be sacrificed for your good will, protection, peace and solidarity. Hats off for the Special forces of Pakistan Army and PAF.
The facts will come out but by then this attack would be forgotten till the next one. The point is what led to this attack? Let us wait and see but one thing is sure incompetence travels down fast and our PM and the always travelling President are two incompetence generators.
Pak Army what a co-accident ,Are you going to repeat the history of East Pakistan? What are you people doing and you cann`t safe this lambed and broken Pakistan? Perhaps you have derailed from your standard?
It is suggested that Pak army uniform must be changed and on sensitive places the uniforms must be of diifirent style and nobody tries to copy it and if any irrelivant person enters,there must be an alarming indicating to be alert and capture that introduer at once.
Pseudo intellectuals…
why is the army sleeping ?
instead of informing about clean ups why cant they just do it silently & carpet bomb Waziristan > the End to all of our problems
Wake up Kiyani stop SLEEPING
Shame on you Zoya.
Salute You Pakistan Airforce. . . Specialy to base commander, despite of his high profile rank he lead from front to counter attack. . .
May our country live long ameen.
Friends plz pray for Pakistan.
Regards,
On this occasion the security was much better but still a lot more improvement is required. TTP or any other terrorist organization challenging the state must be dealt with full force. Hope that the armed forces have learned a lesson that encouraging mentally sick people in the name of religion, training and arming them had never been productive. Non state actors must not be used to enforce our foreign policy.
we must appreciate our soldiers for there bravery and sacrifice, but at the same time must thorn the elements involved in such actions and it is the responsibility of whole nation only forces and agencies are not be blamed. we must keep our eyes and ears open to look for such elements. the day we as a nation reacted our enemies will fail. external forces are using internal elements. identify them and bring them to lime light.
Trained, funded and with abetment of those agencies that wish to take control of our nuclear assets, this notorious attack was launched. Soon the COAS and concerned officials in the government will be contacted to apprise them of the inicident and ask they change their mind to allow the agency handle our assets.
Pak Army, is the one of best in all our the worlds.
Interior ministry has failed badly to restore law and order in the country-
interior minister must be taken to task
easier said than done,,, BUT the militants should not have been able to enter the base. They have again penetrated a major military base. Not good…
Great Work by Pak Commandos. Quick response saved innocent lives. Terrorist & Terrorism have no religion or respect for humanity. Right action taken by Army
Those who donot learn from their past are bound to repeat them…. whats the trueness of the statements? the destruction of mehran was caused by only 4 terrorists, here 9 have been killed and probably, some more will be hiding in bushes…. do u think that they had achieved the surprise for 1 aircraft only?…..
In mehran attack, every thing was visible, which is not the case here. the situation on ground will have been much worse.
face saving again, not pointing to the actual troubles due to involvement of big fishes, will probably end up where? the reality is clear.
THOSE WHO DONOT LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES ARE BOUND TO REPEAT THEM
MEHRAN WAS RAIDED BY JUST 4 TERRORISTS AND IN REALITY, IT WAS GOOD FOR PAKIS, THAT ASSETS OTHER THAN P3s WERE FORGIVEN. EVERY THING IN MEHRAN WAS VISBLE WHICH IS NOT THE CASE.
SO, DO YOU THIK 9 OF THESE TERRORISTS, ACHIEVED A SURPRISE TO HIT ONE AIRCRAFT ONLY? IT TAKES MORE TIME TO REACH TO A SCENARIO THAN TO FIRE AN RPG
SO THE REALITIES A RE MUCH WORSE
THOSE WHO DONOT LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES ARE BOUND TO REPEAT THEM…
MEHRAN WAS RAIDED BY JUST 4 TERRORISTS AND IN REALITY, IT WAS GOOD FOR PAKIS, THAT ASSETS OTHER THAN P3s WERE FORGIVEN. EVERY THING IN MEHRAN WAS VISBLE WHICH IS NOT THE CASE.
SO, DO YOU THIK 9 OF THESE TERRORISTS, ACHIEVED A SURPRISE TO HIT ONE AIRCRAFT ONLY? IT TAKES MORE TIME TO REACH TO A SCENARIO THAN TO FIRE AN RPG
SO THE REALITIES A RE MUCH WORSE
The nation demands the resignation of the defense minister over the loss of men and material during the terrorist's attack, at the Air Force base Kamra.
Mr. Defense Minister, if it's not a security lapse then is it a security proof that a very precious plane has been hit and set ablaze, inside the complex? How much more damage do u think was sufficient to admit that it was a security lapse?
Mr. Defense Minister, don't hide yourself behind the statement that it was not a security lapse. And as an honourable man, you must resign immediately, for the nation's loss of men and material, right inside the heart of the military complex Kamra.
Nayyar,thats a valid point,but also,what about the PM and the president who are always there during the security meetings,its not really the defense minister,he does'nt have enough brains to even cover up his dual nationality,I think the entire government needs to resign,thats the only way to salvage Pakistan's situation.
The US Proxies up to their antics again … more evidence being created byour Frenemies to paint Pakistan in a corner …
The US Proxies up to their antics again … more evidence being created to paint Pakistan in a corner …
these attock were done by deobandi attockers in karach ariport were from tabligi jammat deobandi plz bann them they paly in hands of others
inko aqal ni aani,,,khak talibam,,raw tum logon ki phar k gyi,,,aqal to nazdeek se b ni guzri
aankhein kholo apni,abi b time hai,,,,raw style tha pura,,,unki dead bodies mene khud dekhi hain,,,,indian thy pure,chote kad wale n black,,,,raw agents thy,,,,yaar had h,tum log abi tak taliban k peeche pare ho,,,,kasam se itna dukh mujhe aaj tak ni hua jitna tum logo ki be-hissi ko dekh kar hua,,,,or ye air force to hai he ladies force,,kamino ne apni hifazat k liye DSG ko rakha hua hai,,, bas ab to ye mulk Allah k hath me hai,,warna public+government ne to thaan li h k pak khape he khape
it was RAW’s action n they did it.All the security here is just for civilians,call ISI agents in such important places n specially where air force z present,,,,I’m really ashamed that they destroyed the plane which was imported frm Sweedn n was worth of more than 100 billions,,,was a spy plane,,,why should taliban hav targetd that plane??????? Cm’n guys,,,,,leav fntasy n live in reality…dnt follow wat others hv typed or spoken..!!
omat tmhara cmnt parh k mujhe bas hansi he i,lolzz
Comments are closed.