Taliban gunmen attacked a security post outside Karachi airport on Tuesday, a day after an all-night siege by the militants left 37 dead and extinguished a tentative peace process. The latest assault on the airport raised further questions about the authorities' ability to secure key facilities in the face of a resurgent enemy, and came as air force jets pounded suspected militant hideouts in the north-west, killing 25 people.
The attack on the security post targeted an entry point to an Airport Security Force (ASF) camp 500 metres (yards) from the airport's main premises, and around a kilometer from the passenger terminal. Police, paramilitary rangers and army all raced to the site but officials later reported they had not traded fire with the militants and there had been no casualties.
Army spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa confirmed the incident was over, but tweeted that three to four assailants were involved, while a senior official at the scene who wished to remain anonymous said the gunmen may have fled to a nearby shanty settlement. "We are chasing them, we will get them, it's not easy to hide here, there are no buildings, no population except for two small shanty towns nearby," the official told AFP. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to air strikes in the tribal areas, and vowed further unrest. "Today's attack on ASF (Airport Security Force) in Karachi is in response to the bombardment on innocent people in Tirah Valley and other tribal areas," spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said. "We will continue such attacks."
BR Staff Reporter adds: Security agencies on Tuesday foiled a terrorist attempt possibly aimed at targeting the Airport Security Force (ASF) camp. Although nobody was reported hurt in this incident, only a few bullet shots were fired by two terrorists at ASF's girl hostel near ASF camp before they fled adjacent localities - Bhitai Abad and Pehlwan Goth on bike.
Director General ASF, Tahir Ali while talking to media persons said two terrorists some fire near a girls' hostel which is located behind their camp. ASF check-post is located at a distance of about hundred meters from the crime scene. "No causality occurred in this fresh incident," he added. Following the incident, a heavy contingent of law enforcement agencies including police, Rangers, and ASF commandoes reached the site and cordoned of the area and initiated search operation the ASF Academy, the Pehlwan Goth and Bhitai Abad.
Flight operations resumed after temporarily being suspended for the second time in as many days, and the roads leading to the airport were also cleared for all kinds of traffic. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Gulshan, Fahad, said a joint search operation by police and rangers was under way in Pehlwan Goth, adding that some 90 percent area has been cleared; however, no arrest or recovery was made till filing of this report.
This search operation is being carried out as law enforcement agencies are suspecting the presence of armed terrorists who reportedly entered the area after opening indiscriminate firing on the ASF camp. He said terrorists might belong to some other areas of the city because this area (Pehlwan Goth) was completely cordoned off and subjected to an intense search by LEAs right after an attack on the airport on Sunday. The incident triggered fear and panic among the area residents.
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