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Militants storm Pakistani navy base
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Pakistani rangers and rescue workers gather at the main gate of a naval aviation base following an attack by militants, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, AP – Pakistani rangers and rescue workers gather at the main gate of a naval aviation base following an attack …
By ADIL JAWAD, Associated Press – Sun May 22, 6:34 pm ET

KARACHI, Pakistan – Islamist militants stormed a naval base in the Pakistani city of Karachi late Sunday, destroying a U.S.-supplied surveillance aircraft, firing rockets and battling commandos sent to subdue them in one of the most brazen attacks in years, officials said.

At least four navy personnel were killed and nine wounded in fighting at the Naval Station Mehran that was going on more than four hours after the strike began, said navy spokesman Irfan ul Haq. He did not know how many militants had been killed or wounded.

Between 10 and 15 attackers entered the high-security facility before splitting up into smaller groups, setting off explosions and hiding in the sprawling facility, he said.

"We are receiving fire from different directions," said another spokesman, Salman Ali.

The coordinated strike rocked the country's largest city just under three weeks after the death of Osama bin Laden in an American raid on the northwestern garrison city of Abbottabad, an event al-Qaida allied extremists here have vowed to avenge.

The unilateral American raid triggered a strong backlash against Washington, which is trying to support Pakistan in its fight against militants, as well as rare domestic criticism against the armed forces for failing to detect or prevent the operation.

The fact that militants were able to enter one of the country's largest military bases is another embarrassing blow to the army and will raise questions over whether the attackers had inside information. That they targeted a U.S. supplied aircraft draws attention to American aid to the military, something generals here do not talk about, fearing criticism from the county's fiercely anti-American population.

After heavy American prodding, security forces launched several operations against militants in their heartland close to the border with Afghanistan over the last three years. The extremists have struck back against police and army targets around the country.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. But the Pakistani Taliban, an al-Qaida allied network which has previously launched attacks in Karachi, has pledged to retaliate for the death of bin Laden, and has claimed responsibility for several bloody attacks since then.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack, saying such a "cowardly act of terror could not deter the commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to fight terrorism."

Sunday's raid appeared to be the most serious against the military since October 2009, when militants attacked the army headquarters close to the capital, Islamabad. They held dozens hostage in a 22-hour standoff that left 23 people dead, including nine militants.

The raid began with at least three loud explosions, which were heard by people who live around the naval air station. It was unclear what caused the explosions, but they set off raging fires that could be seen from far in the distance.

An Associated Press reporting team outside the base heard at least six other explosions and sporadic gunfire.

Authorities sent in several dozen navy and police commandos to battle the attackers, who responded with gunfire and grenades, said Salman Ali. At least one airplane in a hangar — a P-3C Orion, a maritime surveillance aircraft that was recently given to Pakistan by the U.S. — was destroyed, he said.

The United States handed over two Orions to the Pakistani navy at a ceremony at the base in June 2010 attended by 250 Pakistani and American officials, according to the website of the U.S. Central Command. It said by late 2012, Pakistan would have eight of the planes.

At least one media report said a team of American technicians were working on the aircraft at the time of the strike, but U.S. Embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez said no Americans were on the base. Ali also stated there was no foreigners inside the base.

Karachi has not been spared the violence sweeping the country, despite being in the south far from the northwest where militancy is at its strongest. In April, militants bombed three buses taking navy employees to work, killing at least nine people.

The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have little direct public support, but the army and the government have struggled to convince the people of the need for armed operations against them. The militants' identification with Islam, strong anti-American rhetoric and support for insurgents in Afghanistan resonates with some in the country.

[keysersoze]

By Faisal Aziz

KARACHI | Sun May 22, 2011 5:43pm EDT

(Reuters) - Gunmen attacked Pakistan's naval aviation base on Sunday, starting fires, setting off explosions and fighting pitched gunbattles inside one of the country's most heavily guarded military installations.

Officials said at least four people had been killed in the attack on PNS Mehran in the southern city of Karachi.

Between 15 to 20 gunmen were inside and had attacked hangars housing aircraft, officials said. Witnesses said they could hear gunshots and see smoke rising from the base.

"They were equipped with sophisticated weapons," navy spokesman Commodore Irfan ul-Haq told Reuters.

Another spokesman said that one P-3C Orion, a maritime partrol aircraft, had been destroyed. "The attackers are still inside and intermittent firing is continuing."

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the militants had attacked from the rear of the base. "We have been able to confine them to one building and an operation is underway either to kill or capture them." The Karachi attack evoked memories of an assault on Pakistan's army headquarters in the town of Rawalpindi in 2009, and revived concerns that even the most well-guarded installations in the country remain vulnerable to militants.

Taliban militants, who have vowed to avenge the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. special forces, have carried out several attacks since his death on May 2.

Officials said the gunmen had attacked three hangars housing aircraft. Nine explosions were reported from the base, with jet fuel tanks possibly catching fire and exploding. Almost three hours after the start of the attack, gunbattles between presumed militants and commandos continued.

A least a dozen ambulances were parked outside the base, waiting to take wounded to hospital. Pakistani military and paramilitary reinforcements were pouring in, with four vehicles carrying about 10 troops each moving into the base.

An intelligence official said four people had been killed and five wounded in the Karachi raid.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani condemned the "terrorist" attack. "Such a cowardly act of terror could not deter the commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to fight terrorism," Gilani said in statement.

WAVE OF BOMBINGS

Pakistan has faced a wave of bombings and gun assaults over the last few years, some of them claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban.

Others have been blamed on al Qaeda-linked militant groups once nurtured by the Pakistani military which have since slipped out of control.

The discovery that bin Laden was living in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, not far from the Pakistan Military Academy, has also revived suspicions that militants may be receiving help from some people within the security establishment.

Pakistan and the United States say the senior leadership in the country did not know bin Laden was in Abbottabad.

On April 28, suspected militants detonated a roadside bomb in Karachi, killing four members of the navy, the third attack on the navy in a week.

The attack came two days after two bombs hit buses carrying navy personnel, killing four people and wounding 56. Taliban insurgents took responsibility for the twin attacks.

(Reporting by Zeeshan Haider, Kamran Haider and Imtiaz Shah; Writing by Myra MacDonald and Chris Allbritton; editing by Ralph Boulton)

(For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: here)

[vinod2070]

Pretty bold attack.These people are becoming bolder by the day.

Some insider involvement likely?

[vinod2070]

Amazing. Six militants walk into a military base on full alert, destroy fighter planes worth hundreds of millions, kill 10 of the best of Pakistani commandos and two of them even escape the base.

Has to be a lot of insider involvement.

So, the next logical question. Are they really safe?

[keysersoze]

Originally Posted by vinod2070

Pretty bold attack.These people are becoming bolder by the day.

Some insider involvement likely?

My initial thoughts were that it was a case of slack security but I guess the possiblity of insider involvement.

[keysersoze]

Originally Posted by vinod2070

Amazing. Six militants walk into a military base on full alert, destroy fighter planes worth hundreds of millions, kill 10 of the best of Pakistani commandos and two of them even escape the base.

Has to be a lot of insider involvement.

So, the next logical question. Are they really safe?

You'd have to post the articles you are referencing for me to respond to that.

[vinod2070]

Well there are a lot of articles talking if the nukes are safe. The talk has been on for years and every major attack renews them.

The summary is that the terrorists have every intent to snatch them, they have shown they can penetrate heavily defended areas and the fact that the security forces are compromised.

Reports suggest that PAF and PN have been heavily compromised already and some PAF pilots are sabotaging the planes.

So the questions can't really be dismissed.

[Lady Macbeth]

Originally Posted by vinod2070

..................they have shown they can penetrate heavily defended areas...............

In the case of PNS Mehran.....is this what you mean by heavily defended? A six foot 'unmanned' concrete wall with a barbed wire running over it?

I dont know about you but all I need is a ladder and common household shears and I would be in the picture.....

(the following picture is inside the base taken by one of the officers who was martyred in the attack)


Its just plain bad luck, a mix of carelessness and lack of foresight/lapse in security that lead to the attack at PNS Mehran.

[vinod2070]

^^ Yes, so it it better you let go of the nukes. ;)

Its just plain bad luck, a mix of carelessness and lack of foresight/lapse in security that lead to the attack at PNS Mehran.

You do realize that this would show incompetence of the highest order given what has been going on for years and also that TTP had already warned of reprisals after the Osama killing.

[keysersoze]

It is slack security and I have a few theories as to why this has happened. However as I understand it the nukes and such are much better protected form all comers. In fact the US gave help in this regard as I recall.