Pakistan Army commandos and PAF and Quick Reaction Force (QRF) personnel battled the attackers.
Advertisement
Pakistani jets killed 16 suspected militants in bombing raids near the Afghan border on Saturday, and police arrested dozens of people, security officials said, the day after Taliban militants killed 29 people in an attack on an air base.
Bajwa said the militants entered the base at two points, splitting into sub-groups, sparking a fierce gunbattle with security forces.
“In the interim, a gathering of terrorists raced to a mosque and killed 16 individuals offering prayers to God inside”, said Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, army’s spokesperson.
The assault on the Badaber base came as the army has been carrying out a major offensive against local and foreign militants in North Waziristan, a northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
This is the deadliest Taliban attack on a military installation in Pakistani history.
The audacious attack took place less than a year after over 130 children were killed at an army school in this capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Security officials told AFP that as people were praying, the militants – disguised in uniforms – came and herded them into a corner, telling them the base was under attack and they should huddle for safety.
The base is basically a private complex instead of an operational one – is situated on the southern-most tip of Peshawar’s authoritative breaking limits. He said eight terrorists then entered in the mosque and targeted the unarmed worshippers.
Pakistan’s military chief of staff has been to the base and is meeting the injured.
It also underscored the ability of the militants to stage spectacular attacks on targets linked to the country’s military and government.
The attack triggered an hours-long firefight with Pakistani troops at the base, during which an officer and two guards were also killed, officials said.
Sharif also reached Peshawar and visited the wounded soldiers and civilians in hospital.
“We are hearing that the attackers were armed with guns and rockets”, he said.
He told that a faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was involved in the attack, adding that intelligence institutions are further investigating it.
The attack on the Badaber base, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of Peshawar, triggered fierce gunbattles.
Advertisement
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and reiterated the nation’s resolve to continue its mission of eliminating terrorism.
