ktlight
23rd May 2011, 10:19
FYI:
Pakistani troops have ended a siege by militants who attacked a naval base in the city of Karachi, navy sources say.
The troops are now said to be "mopping up" after the raid, which has left at least 12 soldiers dead.
The attackers were said to have taken hostages after storming the Mehran naval aviation base overnight. Some militants may still be in the compound.
The Pakistan Taliban says the raid was to avenge Osama Bin Laden's killing by US special forces on 2 May.
"It was the revenge of martyrdom of Osama Bin Laden. It was the proof that we are still united and powerful," Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters news agency.
They have carried out several attacks since then.
The attack is similiar to a raid in October 2009 in which Taliban militants laid siege to the army headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, killing dozens.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says the Karachi incident will revive fears about the security of Pakistan's nuclear installations.
Aircraft burned
On Sunday evening at 2230 (1730 GMT), militants stormed three hangars housing aircraft at the Mehran base, according to officials.
Their first targets were aircraft parked on the tarmac and equipment in nearby hangers, says the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan at the scene.
Eyewitnesses say the militants used rocket-propelled grenades to damage and destroy several warplanes. These included the Pakistan navy's premier anti-submarine attack jet - the US-made P-3C Orion.
source to continue
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13495127
Pakistani troops have ended a siege by militants who attacked a naval base in the city of Karachi, navy sources say.
The troops are now said to be "mopping up" after the raid, which has left at least 12 soldiers dead.
The attackers were said to have taken hostages after storming the Mehran naval aviation base overnight. Some militants may still be in the compound.
The Pakistan Taliban says the raid was to avenge Osama Bin Laden's killing by US special forces on 2 May.
"It was the revenge of martyrdom of Osama Bin Laden. It was the proof that we are still united and powerful," Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters news agency.
They have carried out several attacks since then.
The attack is similiar to a raid in October 2009 in which Taliban militants laid siege to the army headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, killing dozens.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says the Karachi incident will revive fears about the security of Pakistan's nuclear installations.
Aircraft burned
On Sunday evening at 2230 (1730 GMT), militants stormed three hangars housing aircraft at the Mehran base, according to officials.
Their first targets were aircraft parked on the tarmac and equipment in nearby hangers, says the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan at the scene.
Eyewitnesses say the militants used rocket-propelled grenades to damage and destroy several warplanes. These included the Pakistan navy's premier anti-submarine attack jet - the US-made P-3C Orion.
source to continue
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13495127