Suspected militants attack Pakistan air force base

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants attacked an air force base in central Pakistan early on Thursday, the air force said, in a brazen challenge to the country's powerful military.

Air force commandos were exchanging gunfire with what an air force statement called "terrorists", hours after the attackers entered Minhas base in the town of Kamra in Punjab province.

"Terrorists" is the term Pakistani authorities use to describe militant groups such as the Taliban.

The overnight assault challenged official assertions that Pakistan's military had severely weakened militants waging a violent campaign to topple the U.S.-backed government and impose strict Islamic rule.

"One body of a suicide bomber strapped with explosives has been found close to the impact area," said the statement.

Pakistan's Taliban movement has staged a number of high-profile attacks over the past few years, including one on army headquarters in Rawalpindi in 2009.

Last year, six Taliban gunmen attacked a naval base in Pakistan's biggest city Karachi to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden. At least 10 military personnel were killed and 20 wounded in the 16-hour assault.

Those attacks, and the latest one, are embarrassing for Pakistan's military, which has ruled the country for more than half of its 65-year history and is seen as the most efficient state institution.

The Taliban, which is close to al Qaeda, is blamed for many of the suicide bombings across Pakistan, a strategic U.S. ally.

Pakistan's military, one of the biggest in the world, has staged several offensives against Taliban strongholds in the unruly tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan.

But the operations have failed to break the back of the Taliban. Major suicide bombings have eased considerably over the past year but that could be due to a tactical shift and not pressure from the military.

(Reporting by Sheree Sardar and Qasim Nauman; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-attack-pakistan-air-air-force-001218963.html

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