By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The military said on Saturday that it had foiled a terrorist attack on a training air base of the Pakistan Air Force, killing three assailants and cornering three others.
The attack on the Mianwali Training Air Base, which occurred in the early hours of the day, was the latest in a series of violent incidents that have rocked the country in recent days, leaving at least 17 soldiers and five civilians dead and dozens wounded.
The military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement that the attackers had tried to enter the base but were “neutralised” by the troops, who responded swiftly and effectively.
“On Nov 4, 2023, in the early hours of the day, Mianwali Training Air Base of Pakistan Air Force came under a failed terrorist attack which, Alhumdollilah, due to the swift and effective response by the troops, has been foiled and thwarted, ensuring the safety and security of personnel and assets,” the statement said.
“Three terrorists were neutralised while entering the base while the remaining three terrorists have been cornered/isolated due to timely and effective response by the troops.”
The ISPR said some damage to three grounded aircraft and a fuel bowser had occurred during the attack, but no casualties among the security forces or the air force personnel were reported.
“However, during the attack, some damage to three already grounded aircraft and a fuel bowser also occurred.”
The military vowed to remain committed to “eliminating the menace of terrorism from the country at all costs”. “A comprehensive joint clearance and combing operation is in the final stages to completely clear the area.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came on the heels of a series of other incidents that have raised concerns over the security situation in Pakistan.
The attack came a day after three separate assaults killed 21 people, including 17 security personnel, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces that border Afghanistan.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence, especially after the Pakistani Taliban ended their fragile ceasefire with the government in November 2022, with most of the attacks targeting the two provinces along the Afghan frontier.
Officials have repeatedly accused militants targeting their country of operating from neighbouring Afghanistan and urged the Taliban government in Kabul to stop their territory from being used as a launchpad for such attacks.
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