Peshawar: A group of heavily armed gunmen associated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked a Pakistani Air Force base in the northwestern city of Peshawar early on Friday. The attackers tried to force their way into the Badaber Air Base. The security forces in Pakistan responded quickly to the attack and killed at least 13 terrorists in the ensuing operation.
A group of militants attacked a guard post and tried to force their way into the Badaber air base, Major General Asim Bajwa said on Twitter. Eight attackers had been killed so far, he said, and 10 soldiers wounded. Clearance ops still underway. Searching for hidden terrorists,” Bajwa tweeted.
A military official at the base, who asked not to be identified, said the gunmen opened fire on security guards as they tried to fight their way into the facility. All the terrorists were wearing explosives-laden jackets and were armed with hand-propelled grenades, mortars, AK-47 rifles,” the official told Reuters.
“The Quick Response Force of the Pakistan army immediately responded and killed six terrorists before they could enter,” he said. Ambulances had taken around 20 wounded military personnel to hospital, said rescue official Bilal Ahmed. Taliban spokesperson Muhammad Khorasani claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of the militant group.
The number of attacks in Pakistan has fallen around 70% this year, due to a combination of a military offensive against Taliban bases along the Afghan border and government initiatives to tackle militancy. That follows a massacre at a military-run school last December that killed around 150 people, almost all of them children. Militants can still strike high-value targets even though attacks have decreased. The home minister of Punjab province and 15 others were killed in a suicide attack last month.
After the attack, a heavy contingent of Quick Response Force (QRF) rushed to the site to fend off the attackers. The terrorists are believed to carrying heavy weapons to target the guardroom of the camp on Air Force Road. As per reports, a group of seven to 10 militants attacked a guard post in the early hours today.
Bureau Report
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