Peshawar: At least 42 people, including 13 militants were killed, in an attack launched by heavily armed terrorists in military uniforms on a Pakistan Air Force Base and a mosque located inside the premises.
A group of men wearing explosive-laden jackets, armed with grenades, mortars, AK-47 rifles attacked a guard post to make their way into the Badaber air base, 6 km outside Peshawar. Around 16 people offering prayers at the mosque were shot dead. Army spokesperson Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said the militants entered the group from two sides later splitting into three groups. “The militants were contained within a close area. Meanwhile, a group of terrorists rushed to a mosque and killed 16 people who were offering prayers inside,” he said. Although Bajwa did not specify how many of those killed in the event were military personnel, more than 20 coffins were seen at the army's corps headquarters at Peshawar. A senior military official said that most of those present in the mosque at the time of the attack were employed with the PAF.
Claiming responsibility for the attack, the Tehrik-e-Taliban said in an email sent to journalists that the assault was carried out by its special suicide unit, in response to several military operations against the TTP.
