Security forces foiled an attack on a training airbase in Mianwali and killed all the nine terrorists, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, as the military installation was targeted during early hours on Saturday.

According to the ISPR, three terrorists were killed during their attempt to enter the airbase after the troops deployed at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) facility reacted swiftly to the attack.

The remaining six attackers were eliminated after being encircled, the military’s media wing said, adding that the quick response ensured the safety pf national assets remained protected.

Moreover, the ISPR said the PAF assets remained secure and only three aircraft, which had been already grounded at the airbase, were damaged in the terror attack.

RESPONSIBILITY CLAIMED

On the other hand, Reuters reported that a spokesman for terrorist group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) had claimed responsibility for the PAF base attack carried out on Saturday morning.

TJP came to the fore only this year and little is known about the group, which has carried out a string of high-profile attacks in the country, including killing 12 soldiers at a Pakistani military base in the southwestern province of Balochistan in July.

The early Saturday attack startled residents living close by when volleys of gunfire broke the morning silence.

“I woke up at around 3am after I heard massive gun shots which continued till around 7am,” Zeeshan Niazi, a resident of Mianwali, told Reuters.

INCREASE IN TERROR ATTACKS

Pakistan has been witnessing an increase in terror attacks on military in Balochistan and Khyer Pakhtunkhwa, as a total of 17 soldiers were martyred in separate incidents a day earlier. 

Fourteen of these martyrs lost their lives after a military convoy was targeted in Gwadar, as the ISPR promised that the security forces were determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country. “Such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.

The other three soldiers were martyred in DI Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – two as a result of exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation and one in an IED (improvised explosive device).

At the same time, Mianwali –a district in western Punjab, which borders Karak and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – has repeated witnessed terror attacks where policemen remained a repeated target.

GENERAL ELECTIONS

With Pakistan set to go for polls on Feb 8 next year, the terrorism acts are a worrying sign, as political leadership and parties would have to be extra cautious during their election campaigns.

The JUI-F, led by seasoned politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has been repeatedly targeted by terrorists, as Maulana is a strong advocate of parliamentary democracy despite his religious vote bank.

In July, dozens of his supporters were killed in a suicide blast at a party convention in Bajaur district – formerly part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – while senior leader Hafiz Hamdullah escaped an attack in Mastung, Balochistan, in September.