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Suicide bombers wearing military uniforms have stormed an air base in Pakistan, heightening fears over the strength of militant groups in the country.
Suicide bombers wearing military uniforms have stormed an airbase in Pakistan, heightening fears over the strength of militant groups in the country.
The attack on the facility in Punjab province on Thursday morning, which is thought to house part of the country's nuclear arsenal, damaged one plane and led to the death of one soldier.
The attack on the Minhas base at Kamra, in Punjab province, which is thought to house part of the country's nuclear arsenal, damaged one plane and led to the death of one soldier. At least eight militants died.
At least eight militants died during yet another high profile attack which is likely to both embarrass the Pakistani military and raise fears over the apparently undimmed strength of Taliban linked groups.
The attackers, some dressed in military uniforms and armed with rocket-propelled grenades, climbed over a three-metre wall covered in barbed wire and attempted to approach hangars containing aircraft, an air force spokesman said. They kept up a gun battle for several hours, forcing the army to call in extra support from commandos.
The attack on the Minhas airbase at Kamra, 45 miles (72km) from the capital Islamabad, comes amid claims from the US secretary of defence that Pakistan will soon launch a major assault against the Taliban and other militant groups in the country's tribal belt.
Those rumours have in turn heightened fears in Pakistan that the Taliban and its allies will mount strikes across the country.
It is the third time Minhas, and the nearby Pakistan Aeronautical Complex where fighter jets are assembled, has been attacked in since 2007.
Militants have mounted ambitious assaults on major military facilities across the country in recent years, including a sixteen-hour attack on a naval base in Karachi in last year which killed at least ten military personnel.
In the latest challenge to Pakistan's military Islamist militants armed with rocket propelled grenades were able to sustain a gun battle against the Minhas base for several hours after the attack began at around 2am, forcing the army to call in extra support from commandos with police armoured personnel carriers seen streaming towards the base.
The attackers, some of whom were dressed in military uniforms, managed to climb over a nine foot wall covered in barbed wire.
A gun battle broke out after the militants attempted to approach hangers containing aircraft, an air force spokesman said.
The commander of the base, Muhammad Azam, was reported to be in a stable condition after being shot in the shoulder.
The commander of the base, Muhammad Azam, was reported to be in a stable condition after being shot in the shoulder.
Soldiers searching the base later found at least two remote controlled bombs.
Soldiers searching the facility later found at least two remote-controlled bombs. "We are checking every inch of the complex to make sure there are no other miscreants," said a spokesman, Tariq Mahmood.
"We are checking every inch of the complex to make sure there are no other miscreants," said spokesman Tariq Mahmood.
The president, Asif Ali Zardari, condemned the attack and said the government was determined to eliminate terrorism.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the terrorist attack and expressed the government's resolve not to be deterred by such acts.
It is the third time Minhas and the nearby Pakistan aeronautical complex, where fighter jets are assembled, have been attacked since 2007. Militants have mounted ambitious assaults on military facilities across the country in recent years, including a 16-hour attack on a naval base in Karachi last year that killed at least 10 military personnel.
Zardari said the government was determined to eliminate terrorism.
This week Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, said Pakistan would soon launch a major operation against militants in Waziristan, a semi-autonomous area near the Afghan border that is a hotbed of militancy.
Earlier this week Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, said Pakistan would soon launch a major operation against militants in Waziristan, a semi-autonomous area near the Afghan border that is a hotbed of militancy.
Pakistan has long resisted US pressure to attempt to clear the area, particularly North Waziristan, which is home to the Haqqani Network, a Taliban-allied group known for attacks in Kabul. Panetta suggested that the Pakistani Taliban would be the most likely targets of any operation.
Pakistan has long resisted US pressure to attempt to clear the area, particularly North Waziristan, which is home to the Haqqani Network, a Taliban allied group known for its headline grabbing attacks in Kabul.
Panetta suggested that the Pakistani Taliban would be the most likely targets of any Pakistani operation.
