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KABUL – Nine militants attacked an air force training base in the central Pakistani area of Mianwali, Punjab on Saturday morning. Three militants were killed before they entered the base while the others had been cornered before the clearance operation began, the military said in a statement. It did not mention any casualties amongst security personnel. Three aircraft and a fuelling tanker have been damaged in the latest terror attack.
This incident comes on the heels of a series of attacks across the country that claimed the lives of 22 individuals, the majority of whom were soldiers.
The early Saturday attack startled residents living close by when volleys of gunfire broke the morning silence.
Pakistani security forces thwart the militant raid, eliminating three attackers before they could breach the base’s perimeter. In subsequent clashes, six more assailants were neutralized. The military credited the “swift and effective response by the troops” for preventing the attack and ensuring the safety of personnel at the facility. However, the raid did result in damage to three grounded aircraft and a fuel transport tank.
A previously unknown militant group, Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, claimed responsibility for orchestrating the attack. This group has been responsible for a series of high-profile assaults on security forces in recent months, including an attack on a military base in Baluchistan in July that resulted in the deaths of 12 Pakistani soldiers.
Just a day prior to the air force base attack, insurgents ambushed a military convoy in Baluchistan’s Gwadar district, leading to the tragic loss of 14 soldiers. The Gwadar district hosts a crucial China-operated deep-water Arabian Sea port.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the Gwadar incident, suspicions point to ethnic Baluch militants who have frequently targeted security forces in the region. These militants claim to be fighting for the independence of resource-rich Baluchistan, accusing China and Pakistan of exploiting the province’s natural resources, allegations that both countries vehemently deny.
In a separate series of incidents on the previous day, bomb blasts and clashes involving militants associated with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the lives of at least five civilians and three soldiers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan.
Both TTP-led militants and Baluch insurgents have escalated their attacks in these provinces, which are situated along Pakistan’s extensive border with Afghanistan. This surge in violence has resulted in the loss of over 700 lives in Pakistan this year, including both civilians and security personnel. The military has confirmed that nearly 240 soldiers were among those who perished.
Pakistani officials have alleged that fugitive militant leaders and fighters exploit Afghan territory to plan cross-border attacks, allegations that the Taliban government in Afghanistan denies. The TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is a recognized offshoot and ally of the Afghan Taliban.
Baluchistan, with its sparse population and a shared border with Iran, has witnessed significant Chinese investment in recent years under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, an extension of Beijing’s global Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Unfortunately, Baluch insurgents have also targeted Chinese nationals involved in CPEC projects, leading to the deaths of several individuals since the program’s inception a decade ago.
