Karachi: At least 11 people including five security personnel have been killed in a massive terrorists’ assault on one of the Pakistan’s largest Navy base in the southern city of Pakistan on late Sunday night. Several blasts and heavy firing were also reported in the assault.
According to the initial reports, six to seven blasts were hared in PAF Base Faisal located on Shahra-e-Faisal, the biggest shahra in Karachi. Intermittent firing have also been hearing, and big smoking clouds were also seen, The News Tribe correspondent reported.
According to Director General Public Relations Pakistan Navy five security officials including a Lieutenant and three sailors of Pak-Navy and one jawan of Sindh Rangers were killed in the incident. However, intelligence sources said that six terrorists and while four terrorists have been arrested.
Six others people including a Navy officer and a foreigner were also injured in the blast. The injured have been rushing to various hospitals.
Heavy contingents of police and Rangers along with Navy commandos have sealed the surrounding areas of the PAF Baisal and PNS Mehran areas and started search operation.
According to intelligence sources at least 10-12 terrorists were still inside the PNS Mehran, which is located inside PAF Base Faisal, and heavy exchange of firing between the miscreants and security officials have been continuing. The sources said the terrorist did not cross any check-post, they used particular hidden ways to enter in the base. The terrorists initially ambushed with rocket launchers and then used modern weapons in the attack.
The sources said that terrorists also captured the building of Air Traffic Control Landing , and traffic control system has been suspended. However, DG Public Relations Pak-Navy Irfan-ul-Haq categorically denied that any building was captured by the terrorists.
The intelligence sources said that the terrorists attacked P-III-C Orion plane of Navy. The plane was American made and has capability to fly 24-hours without filling fuel. The area which was attacked is a highly Red-Zone area.
American engineers have been repairing the P-III-C Orion, but Spokesman of the American Ambassador to Islamabad has said that at the time of the attack no American was working there.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has also confirmed that the incident was a terrorists attack. He said the terrorists were still inside the PNS Base and Naval Commandos started encounter with them. All the lights have been turned off and Special Anti-Terrorist team has also been sent to combat the terrorists.
The sources said that Pak Navy’s Atlantic and Focar planes stand in the PNS Mehran. Aircrafts of Maritimes Security of Pak-Navy were also spotted there. The sources said two other planes were also affected in the attack.
Prime Minister Pakistan SyedYousuf Raza Gilani, soon after the incident, contacted Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs and and discussed the situation. Gilani directed Rehman Malik to leave for Karachi.
It is worth mentioning here that three Navy buses were also attacked in separate incidents on late April that killed at least nine Navy officials. And Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had claimed the responsibility of the attacks. And they also warned to accelerate such kind of attacks in the future.
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